…….as The Supernova Stars Releases 6th Album
By Dr Tinashe Gumbo
Over the past few weeks, I have been reflecting on the work of Leonard Dembo of the Barura Express as part of my ongoing research on the late musician. In that context, when I was sampling songs by various other musicians from the internet, I was shocked to come across and listen to a song featuring my name. It was new indeed and I was fortunate to come across it when it was only a day old, fresh from the studios. The song is about Mberengwa in general and Guruva Secondary School in particular and indeed about “Chitova” and other former students of the school. In the song, Chitova is described as a law agent of the school and a source of inspiration to many people in Mberengwa. I was humbled! I felt my real value on this earth. I later learnt that the song was part of a bigger project by Gadzirai Moyo and The Supernova Stars and it had been thrown into my facebook inbox by Moyo himself. What an honour to me and the other Mberengwa leaders whose names feature in the song?
The Supernova Stars is a group that was formed in 2013 in Bulawayo. From 2016 till today, it has produced hit after hit and has just released its sixth album, Kuzvida in April 2021 through the Trutone Studios. Kuzvida , carries the song Guruva , a special dedication to Guruva High School where the band leader, Gadzirai Moyo did his secondary education between 2005 and 2010. Already, the song has become a hit in Mberengwa, where Moyo comes from. I have received about six calls from my relatives in Mberengwa’s Gaha, Keyara, Mpesi, Chingechuru, Chirambahuyo and Phoenix Business Centres alerting me of this new release from The Supernova. Obviously, it is because my name features prominently in the song, Guruva , so my relatives thought they had found a scoop to tell me.
Other names mentioned in the song are Chidoni, Muchengeti Makazvarwa, Lewis Matutu, Anatafa, Nyahando, Vatonga, Damba and others. These former Guruva Students are being associated with various tasks that they played while at the school. I am being personally honoured for being a long-time School Head Boy from 1993-1995 and also for becoming an “inspiration to many” in the Mberengwa community in my various capacities as an academic, social and economic justice activist and generally a good neighbour to many. Other Mberengwa prominent figures mentioned in the song are the Business Mogul Harrison Shoko and the Marovas.
“Remember Vatonga is Almost Handsome and there is no Doubt that Zvenyika Murombo and Misheck are a Memory to Guruva…” runs one of the chant lines in Guruva .
Gadzirai further honours all the teachers in Mberengwa and at Guruva School. He would say “AG the ekonomikos guru…” specifically referring to one of his mentors, Agony Gumbo, a well known Economics teacher in Mberengwa.
A renowned Educationist from Mberengwa, Dr Takavafira Zhou held that the beat on Guruva is similar to that of the now defunct Dynamic Brothers. A Harare Businessman who also comes from Mberengwa, Davies Shoko, advised that if well supported, The Supernova Stars can reach high levels of the likes of Dembo and others. Some listeners thought that this was Sifelilizwe “Fee” Shumba’s Pepsi Kings of the Vachibhanzi Vauya Hit of the early 2000s. Gadzirai’s voice, his rhythm and lead guitars can easily be mistaken for Sifelilizwe Shumba’s band. By the way, both Shumba and Moyo come from the same ward in Gaha and Chirambahuyo Business Centres, respectively. When I shared the song with Shumba, he felt challenged and has since offered to replicate what Moyo has done through honouring his former school through music.
Veteran Journalist, Lloyd Gumbo as well as Tapiwa Mateketa, a former student at Guruva School, have challenged Mberengwa business people and Guruva Former Student Association (GFSA) to fully support The Supernova group as it has great potential in the industry. This is a great challenge that I will personally consider in my various networks to support the group.
Music is an important part of our life as it is a way of expressing our feelings as well as emotions. Some people consider music as a way to escape from the pain of life. It gives relief and allows one to reduce the stress. Yet, a composer or musician may have more than one purpose in mind when composing/performing a piece of music. However, for this particular musician, Gadzirai, I could easily connect with his lyrics and purpose-a purpose to raise the profile of Guruva Secondary School. I share the same school with him. I saw him grow in the company of my nephew Tawanda Moyo when they played their guitar while herding our cattle along Nyororo River. Gadzirai has remained real in his life-very approachable and humble.
Other songs on Kuzvida are: Rufu (my second favourite after Guruva ), Serikweruoko , Nyoka , Mudiwa Wangu , and Kuzvida (title track). The track Kuzvida reminds all those people who look down upon others that indeed, one day they will lose everything as they are also mortal.
The albums released by The Supernova are: Gwararakurumbi (2016); Pasi Pemvura (2017); Tinochema Kuchinaya (2018); Ultimatum (2019); Mafuro Manyoro (2020) and the latest one Kuzvida (2021).
The Supernova is a nine member group: Gadzirai (Lead Vocalist and main rhythm), Fanuel Ndebele (Lead Guitarist), Wiseman Moyo (Sub rhythm), Gideon Wonder (Bass) and Pieman Chinyani (Drums) while other members perform various other duties.
For any bookings and further details about the group, please contact: Email [email protected], WhatsApp 0782235275
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