The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
FOR artistes in the country, the Covid-19-necessitated lockdown has been tough.
They have been weaned off life performances, their one source of income in an era where royalties and sale of physical copies is all but non-existent.
Like most, rapper Cal_Vin says he misses the stage, not only because it was his lifeblood but because for many artistes it is an outlet for them to vent their frustrations. Without it, many are struggling with depression.
“This lockdown has been a challenge,” he told Sunday Life. “No performances means no money so it has affected a lot of areas in our lives because we are not generating a lot of income because we only do so through music and performances per se.
“Right now, I’m at home trying to be sane and create more music. That’s what I have been up to most of the time just to keep my head above the water somehow. I’m avoiding the avenue of stress because this is really a stressful period. It’s a mess right now.”
While he has recorded a lot of music, Cal_Vin is reluctant to release it while music shows are still prohibited.
“I can safely say that I’ve recorded albums and I’m dropping a mixtape. When I was done recording the albums, two of them, I decided to shelve them because it will be wasted music if I put them out right now. We want to have a proper launch that people can enjoy. You just want to do something for free because in this period we are in right now people also don’t have money. So, to actually print compact discs is going to be impossible. Doing a lot of things is impossible right now. So, all we can do is create and keep, create and keep until a better day in future,” he said.
While the lockdown measures have taken some joy from home, the rapper says it has at least given him a chance to be with family.
“That’s what I’m doing right now but to avoid me being too quiet I’ve decided to drop a mixtape which is called 80s Baby. That’s just to keep things interesting.
It’s going to be a free-to-stream kind of project and I’m not going to sell it. For now, that’s all that’s happening. To tell you the truth there’s nothing else happening.
“I’m always at home, creating new music and trying to limit my movements as much as people. But perhaps this has also been a good thing in a way as it keeps people out of trouble. I’ve actually discovered that I can survive without going out now and then. It’s actually a good way of connecting with your family. But besides that it’s a challenge,” he said.
