Soulbone to collaborate with Tuku

By Tawanda Ngena

Local R'n'B group Soulbone, who made waves with their first single
"Let's Play " a few years back, are set to thrill local fans again, if indications from the quartet are anything to go by.
Not only do they have a number of singles on the way, a much anticipated second album but music lovers can expect the mother-of-all collabos as the group are set to team up with legend Oliver 'tuku' Mtukudzi for what is expected to be a gem of a song.

Soulbone rose to fame following the release of Let's Play in 2009, which won the Best Video Award at the National Arts and Merit Awards.
The video featured South African based Zimbabwe dancehall artist and multi award winning artist Buffalo Souljah, acclaimed Nigerian Dj Waxxy and the late Prince Tendai Mupfurutsa and received considerable airplay regionally and internationally as well.
It was a regular feature on Channel O, MTV and Trace tv.
The Former Danhiko Secondary School students have rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in R'n'B, such as US based Senegalese star Akon when he performed in zimbabwe in 2010.

Soulbone is made up of four talented musicians, Clever Mukazi, Bright Kadenga, Goodnews Nyamakawo and Christopher Joe.
Btnmedia_zw caught up with one Bright Kadengu to hear more about where the group has been, what they have cooking for their fans among other things:

IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE THE FANS HAVE HEARD FROM YOU, WHAT HAS SOULBONE UP TO?
We have been focusing more on the behind the scenes work in the lead up to our forthcoming releases, add to that the live shows and public appearances as well.
Soulbone also released a single called "With my Girl" a while back just to let the fans know we were still around and also give them a taste of what's to come as we are currently doing collaborations with various local musicians among other projects.

WHAT CAN THE FANS EXPECT FROM YOU?
Not to reveal too much too soon but we were privileged enough to get an opportunity to record a song with the legendary superstar Oliver Mtukudzi. It was a once in a lifetime chance and we are quite honoured! As for the title and everything else regarding the song, all I can say to the fans is that, all in good time!




WE HEAR THAT THERE'S TALK OF A SECOND ALBUM AS WELL ......?
An album is indeed on the way, no doubt about that. We are putting the final touches to it as we speak and it should be on the market by the end this year or early next year.

DANCEHALL AND HIPHOP ARE MAKING HEADWAY LOCALLY, WHERE IS RNB IN ALL THIS?
Yeah, I feel that musically, Zimbabwe is slowly but surely coming of age. The emergence of zimdancehall and hip hop is evidence of that. Local R'n'B on the other hand is also coming out of its shell and it's only a matter of time before it is vibrant enough. All that is lacking is the right exposure because Zimbabwe has so much to offer in terms of raw talent right now.

THE RECENT LAUNCH OF THE THE TRACE TV AFRICA MUSIC CHANNEL HAS BEEN HAILED BY MANY, WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU AS A MUSICIAN?

It means a lot for us as artists, African artists are finally being recognized. It is up to us Zimbabwean artists to take up this opportunity to showcase our talent.

We truly believe that our being played on international musical channels (Channel O, Trace Tv, Mtv) back then helped in giving confidence to other local musicians and prove that it can be done. As for us, it gave us hope and a will to continue working hard for our dreams.

WHAT CHALLENGES DO LOCAL ARTISTS FACE THE MOST IN TRYING TO ESTABLISH THEMSELVES?
Most artists encounter problems when it comes to funding and also being able to record quality products that will be acceptable on the international market. Proper musical promotion is also lacking locally.

ANY LAST WORDS FOR YOUR FANS?
To our fans we say thank you very much for supporting SOULBONE all these years, we are indebted to you for sticking with us through it all and we promise to make it up to you.
Expect nothing less but the best in terms of live performances, new tracks and videos towards the end of the year. Our aim is to outdo our previous efforts.