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Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent

SLOWLY eager to change the face of the music industry in the country is one youthful artiste Vengeraas (real name Tatenda Vengesai) who is using his talent to come up with a different style of music that he has named Venge Muzik.

Known in music circles as Vengeraas or Vengemuzik, the artiste started learning music at the young age of 8 as a marimba performer mainly at church services.

His musical genes date back to the 1930’s from his grandparents Kenneth and Lina Mattaka who are recipients of the Nama Lifetime Achievement Award.

“I started doing music when I was 8, joining cultural clubs such as Chipawo. I performed mainly at church and by the age of 10, I was performing at school talent shows.

“By the time I was in high school, I had acquired skills in ethnomusicology, receiving a first-class grade in solo mbira and an honours grade for my skills on the marimba as a solo performer from the National Institute of Allied Arts,” he said.

Vengeraas said, however, when he was 15, he lost interest in music and began to try other avenues.

“I once lost interest in music and luckily after completing high school, I met MC Smiley, who later introduced him to the likes of Jnr Brown, Alka Nemo, Tehn Diamond, TakeFizzo, Stunner, Tawastok and many others. Through these interactions, I was inspired to indulge in music again.

“In 2012, I travelled to Boston to pursue my education and study Civil Engineering. While in America, I managed to release a few singles where I worked with the likes of Jefe Music, David Altenor and AJ Baumgartner who was my manager and continues to be my business partner,” said Vengeraas.

While in the USA, Vengeraas established a fan base and managed to get bookings as people were awed by his African style of music. In 2015, Vengeraas decided to return to Zimbabwe, and now, he is in the process of remodelling his musical image and sound. He has since come up with what he calls Vengemuzik and has worked with DJ Tamuka, Victor Stots, Swayth3rd and several others.

“The Vengemuzik genre cannot exactly be classified as it is a blend of several influences and sounds that I’ve managed to create over time, producing a different urban, but very ethnic sound.

“Before 2019, I’d released several promotional projects and visuals to accompany them. These were mostly projects that I put together at home studios with close colleagues,” he said.

Last year, Vengeraas opened his media house, R3D and since then, he has managed to put out projects that are currently airing on Trace TV.

His singles include Pano pata which plays on Trace Africa, Aiwa ka, Iyeyu, Moto and Hell of a life released this year. – @mthabisi_mthire