The Sunday News
Bhekumuzi Ncube, Sunday Life Reporter
WHILE it is a titanic task to lure celebrated “Zimbabwean” stars like Sandra Ndebele, Jah Prayzah and Winky D into a collaboration, a Bulawayo-based music group who go by the name Mutual Friends have not only won projects with top artistes, but have won projects with continental acclaimed musos.
Their first blockbuster deal, reportedly ready to be released, will see Mutual Friends feature a Ghanaian artiste called T-Ranks and also another Nigerian singer popularly known as Dotman, who last year performed in Big Brother Naija’s live eviction.
The track which is titled So many girls was written by Mr Eazi whose hit Pour Me Water has attracted all corners of the Africa.
Mutual Friends, a group that is made of three artistes namely Bhoroz, R Courtey and Maaanroots and managed by Michelle Banda seems to be a one down to earth group who have previously worked with South Africa’s Thulasizwe who produces music with House sensation Dr Malinga, CrestaX (Zambia), Jikaboys from Kalawa Jazmee and Tonye from Nigeria.
Banda said Mutual friends managed to get Mr Eazi, T-Ranks and Dotman into working together through social media.
“The whole collabo started on social media as Dotman bumped into short snippets which were trending on Instagram. The snippets were AfroPop beats and Gqom produced by Mutual Friends. He surely fell in love with the sound. He sent a direct message giving us his phone number. Dotman owns a recording company in Nigeria called 808 records and he is in the process of introducing and pushing one of his artistes by the name of T-Ranks from Ghana. There he pushed T-Ranks to jump into a collabo with us which he agreed right away.
“It so happened that on the night Dotman received the beat Mr Eazi was in the studio. Dotman wrote the track and came up with a dope concept of appreciating girls in Africa and the whole world at large, hence the title of the track “so many girls”.
The track has been recorded and registered in all digital platforms. The hit is yet to be released. The official date will soon be announced on our social media platforms,” she said.
Banda said after the release of So Many Girls, the group will then turn focus into projects with top Zimbabwean artistes.
“The group is working on multi-projects that will be released this year. The likes of Chidzoka hitmaker Roki, Dray from Wenera Series and the Maidei hitmaker Leonard Mapfumo have all agreed to work with the group. The boys are open and free to work with any good artistes as they say they don’t want to limit themselves and their creativity,” she said.
Banda said the group is less known because the three members of the group are all university students whose activity in the industry has been limited by school work.
“To many people it will be a surprise that the group is not new in the industry. Mutual Friends was formed in 2011. The group has been very active, this is why they have worked with the likes of Thulasizwe under Dr Malinga from South Africa. However, their school work has often limited them as their education is also important,” she added.
