Poptain: Blossoming of a lockdown baby

…chanter aims to cash-in this festive season

By Tawanda Matanhire

Fast rising dancehall artist, Poptain, real name Ameen Abduljaleel Matanga, is ruling the airwaves.
His songs Fadza Mutengi featuring Allanah and Tetena are dominating the charts and ruling the dance floor.
Born in Gweru, the talented youngster has in a short space of time, amassed a huge following as his magic continues to affect multitudes.
With all his recent releases getting attention, Poptain is beginning to see beyond national borders.
And topping the charts is not the only success Poptain is enjoying – the 26-year-old chanter is getting bookings too. He is performing “of course under Covid-19 regulations”, in almost every part of the country.
This Saturday, he headlines the second edition of Switch On at Milton Park Bowling Club in Harare, which comes hard on the heels of another blistering performance at Club Matute recently.
“Switch On is going to be fire. I have respect for my fans and all I need to do is to give the best and expect more energy,” said Poptain, who will be sharing the stage with Allanah and a plethora of DJs, guest artists and top MCs at the uptown gig.
“It’s nice to perform for a crowd. I can’t wait to experience the Switch On atmosphere. Performing for one’s fans is what every artist lives for.”
Growing up, Poptain was a reggae and dancehall fan. He started recording in 2011, creating a fan base within his community and beyond because of his catchy lyrics.
However, he never dreamt that one day he would be a sought-after performer, let alone dominate national radio airwaves.
As he slowly stepped up his game after realising that promotion and airplay did not come cheap, he began to get the much-needed attention, something every artist covets.
“For a long time I was an underground artist and yes, my friends would tell me that I was good but taking it to the next level needed me to push more,” said the Kokai singer.
Fortunately, when he gathered courage to add his voice on a riddim with Allanah on the song Fadza Mutengi, it worked out for the good, becoming an instant fan-favourite.
Since then many people have subscribed to his music.
Music fans continue to look out for more of his tunes as the ‘Tetena Amount’ hitmaker’s star continues to shine.
The talented lyricist has been dishing out good videos and he said his recipe came from the desire to do good in an industry where many seem to be cutting corners.
“I’ve always desired the best and on every one of my videos I’m challenged to work with the best in the game to bring out good videos,” he said.
As people are getting geared up for the festive season, Poptain’s music is set to ignite parties and functions. He promised that he will be releasing more music.
“Am always in the studio working something out and I will be releasing more works this festive season, just know it is going to be bombs, I cannot give much detail but seriously, I’m working on a lot,” he said.
“I’ve always spent Christmas just like any other normal day but I guess I might just get busy this festive season because of the demand for my works,” he said.
Poptain told Nhau that he draws inspiration from his surroundings and his lyrics are adaptive as well, letting real life issues take over, artistically.
“I want to provide solutions to people’s problems through my music – that is why I sing about my surroundings,” he said.
He urged his growing fan base to keep supporting him and attend his shows.
“Yes, the lockdown is still there but gatherings have been loosened up a little bit. So whenever fans can show their support, I would really appreciate that.”
Poptain has had collaborations with a number of artists in Zimbabwe. The Munhu Wenyama hitmaker is keen to work with anyone in the arts industry to bring out the best from one another as artists while creating content for the country’s showbiz.
Some of the remarkable collaborations include Uchakusvika Ikoko with Delroy, Kokai with Nutty O, Fire with Anita Jackson and Mama Chiredzi with Boss Sakina among others. Nhau/Indaba