The ManicaPost
Moffat Mungazi Weekender Correspondent—
AS SUGGESTED in their stage name, Mutare-made sungura outfit Hungwe Stars have earmarked 2018 as the starry year their melodies bird soars the highest and beyond the musical skies.
Fresh from the studio and basking in the near-completion of their forthcoming album “Gona Kuzvigonera” (Dream, Believe, Achieve), out before December, the talented group is at it again — this time serving a honeyed video from their ever-churning music calabash.
Riding on the success and popularity of their previous album “Teya Mhepo”, Hungwe Stars have dropped a video to the song “Varume Makaoma” off that 2016 project which will see their multitude of fans eating from their palm again. The band leader and bassist, Simbarashe Muchita, told The Weekender early this week that the release of the new video comes as part of continuity in their grand scheme of things.
“As a band we are proud to announce the official release of a new video, ‘‘Varume Makaoma.” “
“We have decided to concentrate not only on the audio side of our productions but the video front as well and are happy that our efforts in that regard have come to fruition. In fact our plans are to do three more videos from this album and as we speak we are currently working on the script for “Hezvo Vabereki”.
“The idea behind doing these videos was an attempt to capture the theme of the song in motion picture, bring to life everyday human experiences and reproduce reality.
“Their production may take us a while, but are worth the wait all the same and we are picking up from where we left with our previous videos to “Mufaro Mumusha” and “Sasha.”
“We are Hungwe Stars and have always wanted to fly sky-high all the time and are not relenting in our musical endeavours,” Muchita, a talented guitarist and gifted composer, said.
Highlighting that their music is didactic in nature as well as entertaining, Muchita added that they were constantly and continually improving on the quality of their productions. “Varume Makaoma” was shot at different locations like Chimoio, Mozambique, Dora and Dangamvura.
Seasoned videographer Stanford Chiwanza co-directed and produced the video. Muchita penned the script.
Expressing confidence that viewers will relate meaningfully to scenes in the video, the Hungwe Stars frontman effused: “This has never been an easy undertaking, but we are always giving it our all.
“For the avoidance of monotony there are always new and different dimensions to our productions, shifting paradigms so as to set the pace and trends. We want to make things interesting and exciting.”
Hungwe Stars, whose fan base has been steadily growing over the years, are currently in a good moment during which they have been on a whirlwind tour in and around Manicaland province and the country; holding live shows in Harare, Norton, Zimunya and Odzi. Having shared the stage with such heavyweights as Zora music exponent Leonard “Karikoga” Zhakata and Hosiah “Kwachu-kwachu” Chipanga lists among some of the group’s major highlights for 2017.
From that momentum gathered, the group managed to take their melodious sound beyond Zimbabwean boarders into the sub-region after they penetrated the Mozambiacan music landscape with a performance at Cabassa De Vehlo, Chimoio late last year.
