Entertainment / Music
Sikhonjwa climbing the music ladder
04 May 2016 at 02:01hrs | Views
TAKING his cue from some of the country's erstwhile comedians-cum-musicians like late greats Safirio Madzikatire and Paul Matavire, Bulawayo funnyman and musician Babongile Sikhonjwa is slowly climbing the musical ladder one comedic hit at a time.
At most functions and shows that were held during the busy ZITF period, one of Sikhonjwa's latest attempts to fuse comedy with dance friendly music, Amavampire, could be heard blaring from speakers.
This is not the first such song from the comedian whose no-holds-barred brand of comedy, which has seen him emerge as both a hero and a villain in his excitement-filled career, has made him one of the most recognisable faces on the local entertainment scene.
Last year, Sikhonjwa latched onto the popular catchphrase Khonapho Khonapho and turned it into his signature song at shows where he was either an MC or performer. Another song, Stameta, has also found favour with local music fans.
Sikhonjwa believes that the secret to his newfound success in music is the fact that he manages to talk honestly about serious issues in a light hearted manner.
"I always make sure that the music is entertaining because at the end of the day, that's what it's really all about. Of course music is also about tackling serious issues, but the people take in the songs better when they're presented in a light hearted manner," Skhonjwa said.
Like his comedy, Sikhonjwa said the humour in his music comes from the fact that nothing is ever explicitly spelt out in the lyrics, thus giving fans the chance to give different interpretations of his songs.
"Amavampire is about people that love to go out at night. We always meet the same characters at night and I wanted to convey that to people that don't necessarily go out at night.
"Some of the lyrics on Amavampire say: "abantu bayadliwa ebusuku" and you can take that literally or you can take it as me narrating how people's money is spent at night.
"The satire in Stameta also comes from the double meaning in most of the lyrics," he said. Sikhonjwa said he was also prepping a full length album, which he hoped would be ready for release on his 40th birthday celebrations next month.
While it is important to keep his brand of humour in his music, the comedian also gives balance to his work by collaborating with artistes that are usually tagged as more "serious". The comedian has so far worked with DJ Waxxy, Cal_Vin, Albert Nyathi, Platform One and Guluva 7, while a potential collaboration with superstar Oliver Mtukudzi has been mooted.
"I talked to Oliver while he was here and I'll send him my song soon. If he likes it, I'll feature it on my album," Sikhonjwa said.
At most functions and shows that were held during the busy ZITF period, one of Sikhonjwa's latest attempts to fuse comedy with dance friendly music, Amavampire, could be heard blaring from speakers.
This is not the first such song from the comedian whose no-holds-barred brand of comedy, which has seen him emerge as both a hero and a villain in his excitement-filled career, has made him one of the most recognisable faces on the local entertainment scene.
Last year, Sikhonjwa latched onto the popular catchphrase Khonapho Khonapho and turned it into his signature song at shows where he was either an MC or performer. Another song, Stameta, has also found favour with local music fans.
Sikhonjwa believes that the secret to his newfound success in music is the fact that he manages to talk honestly about serious issues in a light hearted manner.
"I always make sure that the music is entertaining because at the end of the day, that's what it's really all about. Of course music is also about tackling serious issues, but the people take in the songs better when they're presented in a light hearted manner," Skhonjwa said.
Like his comedy, Sikhonjwa said the humour in his music comes from the fact that nothing is ever explicitly spelt out in the lyrics, thus giving fans the chance to give different interpretations of his songs.
"Amavampire is about people that love to go out at night. We always meet the same characters at night and I wanted to convey that to people that don't necessarily go out at night.
"Some of the lyrics on Amavampire say: "abantu bayadliwa ebusuku" and you can take that literally or you can take it as me narrating how people's money is spent at night.
"The satire in Stameta also comes from the double meaning in most of the lyrics," he said. Sikhonjwa said he was also prepping a full length album, which he hoped would be ready for release on his 40th birthday celebrations next month.
While it is important to keep his brand of humour in his music, the comedian also gives balance to his work by collaborating with artistes that are usually tagged as more "serious". The comedian has so far worked with DJ Waxxy, Cal_Vin, Albert Nyathi, Platform One and Guluva 7, while a potential collaboration with superstar Oliver Mtukudzi has been mooted.
"I talked to Oliver while he was here and I'll send him my song soon. If he likes it, I'll feature it on my album," Sikhonjwa said.
Source - chronicle
