Freddy Gwala fell in love with Zimbabwe

One of South Africa's seasoned yesteryear musicians, Freddy Gwala, says he has fallen in love with Zimbabwe from the first time he visited the country more than a decade ago.

In a telephone interview from his base in South Africa this week, Gwala, who rose to fame with the song "Amadamara", was full of praise of the arts sector in Zimbabwe, which he described as "diverse and full of life".

"From Bulawayo right to Harare, the artistes there have got something new to offer whenever they go on stage to perform. Probably the beauty of this diversity emanates from a deep-seated passion to preserve their (Zimbabwean culture) while entertaining people," he said.

Gwala, a legendary zumba music chanter, added that it was probably this diversity in arts genres that has endeared him to Zimbabweans, enabling him to create different synergies with artistes from different backgrounds.

"I believe collaborating with your artistes will further strengthen the bond that is already there between myself and several other artistes in Zimbabwe, not forgetting hundreds of my fans who are in Zimbabwe," he said.

True to his word, Gwala has been working on a number of collaborations with local artistes, with his latest project involving dancer-cum-singer Beverley Sibanda, known in the entertainment circles as Bev.

The two are already working on an album which will be released sometime next month. Only last year, Gwala also collaborated with 25-year-old Bulawayo budding musician Morgan Shumba.

During his last visit to Zimbabwe, the "Amadamara" hitmaker also made it clear that he wanted to collaborate with music icon Oliver Mtukudzi, Soul Brothers and Ringo Madhlingozi on his forthcoming album.

Although some music critics are quick to dismiss Gwala as a "spent force" who has got nothing new to offer, the pint-sized musician remains one of the best contemporary musicians ever to emerge in South Africa in the last two decades.

He may not possess the husky but commanding voice of the likes of Ray "Chikapa" Phiri, or the high sounding voice of Ringo of the "Into Yami" fame, but there is no doubt that Gwala's unique zumba beat and his high level of ingenuity distinct in most of his songs has mesmerised South Africa and the region from the time he started his musical career in 1992, beyond expectations.

His immense contribution and the influence of his beat is felt and appreciated in most kwaito songs that are popular with a lot of young South Africans.

From the time he strummed his first guitar more than two decades ago, having spent eight years in jail for car theft, he has never looked back.

Gwala became a sensational star in the early 90s with his "Amadamara 4", which has one of his greatest songs - "Ngeke Ngiphinde" -which means "I will never do it again" a reminder of the time he spent in jail.

He plays zumba music, which he originated by fusing soul and disco. Most of his lyrics arose from the dark depressing cell many years ago and with that he used art as an agent of social transformation.

He started off his music career by forming a group called Pure Gold in 1973 with his brothers. He later played a major role in the formation of Platform One.

Gwala still produces and composes songs for these groups. Gwala also contributed to several musical projects of a number of artistes that include Blondie Makhene, Vusi Shange and the late Brenda Fassie.

Gwala also composed the song "My Baby" which features on Fassie's album titled  "Imali".