When multi-award-winning musician Jah Prayzah’s hit song Mdhara Vachauya won the Outstanding Song of the Year award at the 16th edition of the annual National Arts Merit Awards (Nama), the result was received with mixed feelings.
Contemporary musician Jah Prayzah (pictured) outclassed Zimdancehall chanter Killer T, Njabulo Nkomo and Ammara Brown, but the result attracted mixed reactions with some music lovers arguing that Killer T should have bagged the award with his blockbuster track, Takangodaro.
But in what appears to confirm Jah Prayzah’s stellar efforts in the track, Mdhara Vachauya appears to not only have charmed music watchers, but many other people across the social and racial divide, as individuals have been posting video clips of the song’s renditions.
A number of renditions — both videos and audios of the song with some coming from the white community and others courtesy of “creative” producers — have gone viral on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube.
And Jah Prayzah has been excited by the developments.He recently shared a video of the Chinese version of the song Mdhara Vachauya, performed at a Chinese New Year’s event recently in Harare.
“I continue to be amazed by the effect Mdhara Vachauya has on different people. This made me smile . . . beautiful performance,” he wrote.
The post was followed by a series of praises showered on the Uzumba-bred musician.Yvonne Rudo SoSpecial wrote: “Legend! Music,the universal language. You have touched people’s lives with your music all over the world. Jah Prayzah to the world.”
Another follower said: “Wow, you are truly a legend crossing cultural boundaries through music.”Mollister Chigwida Marovanyanga said some of her friends from out of the country love the song.
“Most of my foreign friends like this song . . . my other Chinese friend would say ‘Mo hen hao’ meaning ‘it’s good’ . . . this is quality stuff, Jah Prayzah,” she said.
“Music is a universal language, you do not have to interpret the lyrics if the song is good. A good song will remain good no matter the language. Keep it up, Mukudzei,” Simbarashe Mutanga wrote.
The musician’s manager, Keen Mushapaidze, told NewsDay Weekender yesterday that the renditions of the song were a statement that the song was indeed good.
“We are really happy and honoured that the song Mdhara Vachauya is getting so much recognition in and out of Zimbabwe and by Zimbabweans and non-Zimbabweans,” he said.
“We thought it was only during the launch period, but never knew the popularity of the song would keep growing especially after winning the song of the year award.”
The high-flying musician’s star continues to rise, becoming the first Zimbabwean to scoop the prestigious MTV Africa Music Award (Mama) in the Listeners’ Choice category at the 2016 edition of the awards held in South Africa.