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Fungisai Zvakavapano shocker - Am not a gospel musician
17 Jan 2016 at 07:50hrs | Views
Fading Musician Fungisai Zvakavapano-Mashavave has made stunning revelations that she is not a gospel musician.
She said church groups are only interested in her to draw crowds.
She claimed that she was forced to sing gospel exclusively by a producer who believed it suited her style. She says she has been battling with the norms of society ever since she was labelled a gospel artiste back then.
"My problem is like that of mixed race people. They can fit in with both races yet they are not quite accepted). What do I mean? The church loves me so much … but they only want me for crusades where they want me to bring the house down with good danceable music to wow the crowds.
"When it comes to serious worship, they doubt me and they do not fully accept me. They do not think I'm spiritually there. They are like ‘but Fungisai was singing at Luciano's gig last night wearing salt and pepper jeans – is she serious?' And on the other hand secular musicians also have their reservations about me. They say ‘ndewechurch (she is a church person)'. In the end I do not quite fit in."
Fungisai's latest effort "Social Facts 2", a seven-track album, carries only one gospel track. The rest are love songs and other social commentaries riding on that deep traditional chimurenga beat popularised by Dr Thomas Mapfumo.
Her favourite instrument, mbira, dominates the entire album and Fungisai does not make any apologies for it.
"I do not want to be locked up in some … you know sometimes it is like I'm being punished for believing. I do not have to denounce my Christianity before I'm accepted as a professional artiste. Give me a stage anywhere, anytime with anyone," she said.
"I have regrets, of course, because I had this Fungisai that I had in mind when I started music. I put my destiny in other people's hands. They decided what kind of an artiste I was going to become," she lamented.
"When I approached the studio for the first time, I had my social songs on one hand and my gospel songs on the other. The producer said I was feminine and people would accept me if I sang gospel. For me I was like okay, because I got to sing and it complemented what I believe in as a child of God.
"However, I did not know what they were doing to the brand. Before I knew it the producer had turned me into this preacher girl. Which is something I have carried for a very long time. I have tried to be that girl but it has its setbacks. I'm limited as to who I perform with, where I perform and what to perform."
Several years back she offended uncircumcised men when she called them "useless".
She said church groups are only interested in her to draw crowds.
She claimed that she was forced to sing gospel exclusively by a producer who believed it suited her style. She says she has been battling with the norms of society ever since she was labelled a gospel artiste back then.
"My problem is like that of mixed race people. They can fit in with both races yet they are not quite accepted). What do I mean? The church loves me so much … but they only want me for crusades where they want me to bring the house down with good danceable music to wow the crowds.
"When it comes to serious worship, they doubt me and they do not fully accept me. They do not think I'm spiritually there. They are like ‘but Fungisai was singing at Luciano's gig last night wearing salt and pepper jeans – is she serious?' And on the other hand secular musicians also have their reservations about me. They say ‘ndewechurch (she is a church person)'. In the end I do not quite fit in."
Fungisai's latest effort "Social Facts 2", a seven-track album, carries only one gospel track. The rest are love songs and other social commentaries riding on that deep traditional chimurenga beat popularised by Dr Thomas Mapfumo.
"I do not want to be locked up in some … you know sometimes it is like I'm being punished for believing. I do not have to denounce my Christianity before I'm accepted as a professional artiste. Give me a stage anywhere, anytime with anyone," she said.
"I have regrets, of course, because I had this Fungisai that I had in mind when I started music. I put my destiny in other people's hands. They decided what kind of an artiste I was going to become," she lamented.
"When I approached the studio for the first time, I had my social songs on one hand and my gospel songs on the other. The producer said I was feminine and people would accept me if I sang gospel. For me I was like okay, because I got to sing and it complemented what I believe in as a child of God.
"However, I did not know what they were doing to the brand. Before I knew it the producer had turned me into this preacher girl. Which is something I have carried for a very long time. I have tried to be that girl but it has its setbacks. I'm limited as to who I perform with, where I perform and what to perform."
Several years back she offended uncircumcised men when she called them "useless".
Source - Sunday Mail
