JAH PRAYZAH (JP), born Mukudzeyi Mukombe, needs no introduction, having dominated the local music scene for much of the past decade while taking his sound to the region and beyond. From his Sungano days in 2007, he has become the contemporary musician comfortable in his own sound. He speaks to Weekly Digest (WD)’s Winstone Antonio about his journey to become the pre-eminent voice of his generation. WD: Describe your journey so far? JP: God’s grace, passion, hard work and amazing support from my dear fans. WD: What are the most difficult things to do in music? JP: Consistency, focus and maintaining a balance between the family personality and the celebrity personality WD: Who is your biggest influence? JP: No doubt the late Mdara Tuku (Oliver Mtukudzi) was my biggest influence, but I have many though and cannot list them all. WD: Which song would you say is the best you have released and why? JP: Lol, my songs are just like my children, I cannot pick my favourite because they are all so special to me in their different forms. WD: You have done collaborations with both local and international musicians of various genres. Have these collaborations been of benefit to you and how? JP: Yes, they have. It is easier to build together than apart. I have penetrated so many markets locally and internationally because of collaborations. WD: How was it like working with the big international artistes? JP: It’s always a pleasure and honour; you get to learn how they go about their business and get to implement some of these strategies too. For me, it has worked well. WD: Which musician would you like to collaborate with next? JP: There are so many of them, I would not want one to read this article and be like: “aww so it’s not me he wants to work with first!” lol. WD: Do you sing in shower? JP: Lol, that surely is everyone’s talent, yes, I do at times! WD: You are one of the most endorsed artistes by corporates, what is the secret? JP: Know your worth and always remember you are a brand. That will always remind you to carry yourself and your business in a way that attracts other brands and businesses. Also being humble and disciplined is an icing on the cake. WD: For you what is more important, the music or the money? JP: The money came after I was well into my musical journey, I had other options that could give me an easy way out but I chose music. So it will always be music first. WD: Some people think you are influenced by ancestral spirits in your music and that you spiritually get possessed during live performances? Is that true? JP: All I do is perform to my best and if people believe that supernatural powers only can give you the best performance then I can’t take that away from them. It’s just flattering that they think the best of my ability looks somewhat supernatural, lol. WD: Your response to the purported beef with the ghetto president, Winky D. JP: Winky D is my brother! I have always said it again and again and will always do. He is a great artiste and as mentioned earlier we can do more for the industry together t
