IF you were hooked onto Zimbabwean music in the 1990s, you will sure remember this period fondly as a golden era that marked the emergence of really talented vocalists, singers who could serenade you with both voice and lyrics deep in meaning.
JONATHAN MBIRIYAMVEKA
Prince Tendai, Fortune Muparutsa, Mateo – you name them.
Their music was popular among the youth as it fused local pop styles and also RnB, just like what was happening in the United States. It was a phenomenon.
One of the most popular songs to be released those days was the classic hit, Ndiri Pano, composed by Mateo and featuring Willom Tight.
It is a love gem that extols patience in relationships, with an addictive soothing rhythm and hard-to-ignore piano flair.
And, according to Mateo, Ndiri Pano was very experimental as he wanted to try out something new, fusing ragga to his soulful sound.
And at the time Willom Tight had come up as the likely collaborator since he had that reggae-dancehall feel.
And after its release, Ndiri Pano became a staple on the then Radio 3, an urban radio station at the time.
And because of its ballard style, it used to be on the playlist for morning shows aptly hosted by the two beauties, Eunice Goto and Tsitsi Mawarire.
As one fan wrote: “I’m 18 again. Listening to Eunice Goto, Tsitsi Mawarire playing this song during the morning shows on Radio 3. Such pure hopes, dreams and love captured by this song. Thank you for uploading it. This song will never grow old or out of style for me. On loop DAILY!”
Another social media user commented: “I love this song, back then someone sent me this song to let me know they were waiting for me but unfortunately for them, there was someone who wasn’t waiting but chasing me across the world, the rest is history.”
Indeed, the song brings a lot of fond memories to those who were in love, and not in love. That is how good the song is.
And now Roki and Willom Tight are revamping the song to give it a new lease of life.
“Well, we recently met at a gala with my brother Willom Tight who by the way is hugely talented. So, we sat down and decided that we should revamp the song and give it a new feel just like what’s happening these days,” Roki told The NewsHawks.
“It has been good working with Willom Tight because he is well travelled and his experience in music is boundless.”
Besides lacing his vocals, Roki will also be featured on the production side of things among a diverse line-up of producers.
“We want the song to have this Afrobeat style and also appeal to a wider audience because it is a great song,” he said.
The new version is due out before year-end!
