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Yvonne Ncube, Showbiz Reporter
UP-AND-COMING artist Mandla Moyo, popularly known by his stage name ‘Browny’, has penned more than 50 songs in his six-year-old music career.

The 18-year-old Afropop songster’s music is motivated by a desire to spread love to the people while changing lives in the process.

Hailing from the dusty streets of Entumbane suburb in Bulawayo, Browny started writing his own lyrics at the age of five.

“I ventured into professional music in 2015. I have since then released 50 singles and I am happy to say that this yea, I dropped my first extended playlist (Ep) called Kuzolunga. The Ep consists of seven songs, I dropped it on my birthday on 8 June. Kuzolunga talks about the situations and challenges that we as people face in our day to day activities.

The road is not always smooth. So, in the song I advise people not to lose hope because at the end of the storm the sun will rise again. The songs contain issues of Umjolo, beautiful girls and heartbreaks.

“The song Umtwanomuhle on the Ep is popular with the fans and has been trending.

At one time it was number one on Skyz Metro top 20 chart. It has gained a large following because people relate to it. For now, I am working on a new album featuring Mawiza and Bakoozer from Harare,” Browny said.

He said his source of inspiration is the late Cal_vin.

“I was driven into professional music by passion and I always believed in myself and I got my inspiration from the late Cal_vin and the competition from other upcoming artistes has always pushed me to work harder. I believe I was born a musician because I started writing my own music at the age of five, although the lyrics did not make much sense.

I believe that my voice can make a difference in people’s lives considering the lyrics which are very influential and relatable. The confidence that I have in myself has opened a lot of doors for me in the industry. I contested against other artistes in the Albert Nyathi Talent Show and came out number one not because I was better, but because I believe in myself. I value myself because I know I can never be somebody else. Thus I believe I am the King of Afro pop,” he said.

Browny said he has faced a number of challenges in his career.

“My journey as an artist has not been a smooth one. At some point I felt unappreciated because radio stations never gave my songs an airplay, they never accepted me, for example they always ignored my emails. I was never recognised, so I had no shows.

The studios that I used for recording did not have the quality I desired. This was until someone called Thembalethu Moyo invited me to his studio and I liked their quality hence Iam still recording there.

We need more people like Themba in Bulawayo to promote local up and coming artists,” he said.
Browny said he is yet to produce an album.

“It has taken me long to produce an album because in the past I was not appreciated in Bulawayo,
if people at home do not appreciate you, people outside will definitely not. But maybe now I can work on an album, I promise something for next year since I have seen change.

My fan base has increased, radio stations now accept me, I’m being invited to events and shows and I get paid good money. My social media following has also increased. I am even getting opportunities to work with seasoned musicians in the game such as Mawiza,” said Browny. — @SeehYvonne