Masango takes music fans down memory lane

By Tawanda Matanhire

One prominent preacher once said “you are not successful until you leave something for the next generation”.
True to that saying – Zimbabwean music legends left a lot – which has given generations upon generations so much good music to listen to.
Talk of Paul Matavire, John Chibadura, Simon Chimbetu, Jonah Sithole, James Chimombe, Oliver Mtukudzi, Bundu Boys and Leonard Dembo, just to mention a few.
The rich catalogues they created and left for future generations are being reawakened using modern instruments and new technology. The man behind the project is the talented music producer, Zivanai Masango, who has been taking music fans down memory lane, doing covers of the hit songs from some of the aforementioned yesteryear Zimbabwean music legends.
North American-based Masango has not thrown away his identity, rather he is reinforcing and bringing back what most Zimbabweans grew up listening to, especially those from the ‘80s going up to the ‘90s.
Masango, who worked with some of the legends in the past, told Nhau that he learnt a great deal from them. He is now relaying what he learnt through covers that he has been releasing via his YouTube channel, Zivi Music.
“Yes, I have been privileged to work with some heavyweights. I have learned a lot from those experiences. It’s taught me how to conduct myself professionally and it also gives me credibility in the industry in a lot of ways,” said Masango.
He said all he wanted, in the beginning, was to interact with audiences after he had been stripped of the ability due to Covid-19 restrictions.
“When Covid-19 hit, it stripped us of the ability to play live and interact with audiences. Producing these music videos was a way to try and stay connected with the people through music, just as I had done with live shows,” said the music producer.
“Secondly, I had always wanted to dig into the treasure trove of music from yesteryear Zimbabwe … wondering how it would sound with more modern recording techniques and gear. I just had never found enough time to do it, but the lockdowns gave me an opportunity to do it.
“My goal is to re-showcase that rich Zimbabwean music from the past. The response, straight from the first one I did, has been phenomenal. So it just motivates me to keep going as long as time allows me.”
Masango, who plays multiple music instruments, has created a huge following with his project, especially on YouTube where he has been posting on a weekly basis.
“I’ve been really consistent. I’ve tried to produce these videos every week without fail … which has been quite an undertaking, but I’m pleased to say that I have managed to connect with so many people who had never heard of me,” he said.
Masango told Nhau that even though he loves all the legends and tries to play their music as well as they did – he is inspired by the late musical legend, Tuku.
“I love Zimbabwean music! Growing up, when my siblings and peers were tuning in to radio 3, I always gravitated towards radio 2. I feel like a lot of people of my generation may have missed the full richness of the music our legends were producing back then.
“I wanted to repackage the music with the hope of reigniting interest in these oldies and prompting more people to go back and listen to the originals again. From the responses I have been getting, I think I’ve succeeded in doing that to a large extent,” he said.
Masango is not stopping on just this one project.
“I already have three albums out, but in the next few weeks I will be releasing an album of my original songs, which have been part of the Basement Sessions I have been doing since Covid-19 hit.
“ZiMBiRA, a band that I front here in Colorado, will also be releasing a full album of songs which I wrote. We are putting the final touches to that project as we speak. By mid-next year, I will be releasing another full length album as a solo artist as well … so there’s a lot of music to look forward to from me.”
The issue of surviving off music in Zimbabwe has been very topical, especially after Covid-19 affected live shows.
“It’s not easy being a working musician, but I’ve been fortunate in a lot of ways to be able to do a lot of different things within music. From teaching at colleges and camps, to audio engineering, being a session musician, licensing music etc.
“The arts industry has been severely impacted by Covid-19. But I’m grateful that things have somehow worked out during these difficult times. We are hoping to get back to normal soon,” he said.
Masango and wife Helen live in Denver, Colorado. They settled in the United States but often come back to Zimbabwe because of the love they have for their home country.

“We are grateful, though, for a very loving community here in North America who have been so supportive to us.” Nhau/Indaba