The Sunday News
Mthabisi Tshuma, Sunday Life Correspondent
URBAN grooves artiste Alexio Gwenzi popularly known as Goodchild, has opened up on why he has failed to rise to greater heights in the music industry after being in the game for over a decade.
As one of the pioneers of urban grooves movement which took the music industry by storm in the early 2000s with the likes of Roki, Betty Makaya and ExQ, Kwekwe born Goodchild has said the economic situation of the country has not been friendly to him.
The 2004 Iwe Fadzayi hitmaker, said the lack of appreciation over the past years of the urban grooves genre has led him to cut on live shows and producing of CDs mostly because of piracy in the industry.
“Generally the economic situation in the country has affected not just me but a number of artists including sculptors, actors and actresses. Consumers of our products and services cannot afford what we produce with art now being considered by many as a luxury. This has made me cut down on live shows and CDs do not sell as good as back in the days because of the piracy,” added Goodchild.
This has led to his stagnant growth in the music scene but all that is to change as his new song he dropped meets the status quo of standard music videos as it was shot at Camps Bay Beach in Capetown, South Africa. The music video of the song Fly in Summer, a spectacular to watch, was shot by award winning video producer Andy Cutta and is a song he hopes will get him back in the game as he make strides to meet the trending standards.
“Fans are always looking for something fresh, if you are to get back in the game and the song which was shot in a beach in Capetown aims at meeting those standards,” he said.
Goodchild last won an award as the best Afro pop music awards at the 2015 Midlands Music awards as well as best song for Nakuyewa, an Afro beats songs he collaborated with Zambian artiste DJ Neo.
The Zimdancehall genre which is highly rising on a daily basis has overcome some well-established genres of all times.
Goodchild has urged promoters not to only limit themselves to the high rising genre but infuse different genres to uplift artistes from different sectors in the music industry.
“There is need for more corporate support to local artistes and I think promoters need not to limit themselves to Zimdancehall artistes only but should open space for more Afro beats, house and hip-hop artistes. Imagine a show with the likes of Trevor Dongo, Sandra Ndebele, ExQ, Diamond Boyz, Winky D, Novuyo Seagirl, Jah Prayzah, Cal_Vin, POY and Goodchild. It’s definitely a diffusion of good music from different genres,” Goodchild said. The musician cum TV presenter who co-hosts the ZBC Coke Studio show which came back on the small screens last Saturday, is set to perform at Red Café in Harare this month and King Solomon in Kwekwe in May.
He has vowed to take his birthday celebrations to Bulawayo in October this year as he aims to lure the Matabeleland fan base.
