Zimbabwe Musician and songwriter, Winky D ( Wallace Chirimuko) was today feature on In Conversation with Trevor. This follows the passing away of his drummer, Scara the drummer.

He says Scara passed away after he had been sick only for three days. Winky D says he grew up with Scara and they were more friends than workmates.

Here are some of the key points in the interview.

  1. Winky D says he is not social media shy, He says his social media platforms are only there to give updates on the business side of the brand.
  2. Winky D says he does not respond to rumours on social media.
  3. Names – Winky D, President of the Ninjas, The Gaffa, Chi-extra terresstrial , all these names move with the annointing. He explained that Winky D came from the Wicked DJ.
  4. Winky D grew up in Kambuzuma and went to Rukudzo Primary and then Kambuzuma High School.
  5. He says he had a typical Ghetto life story, regarded as Naughty. A Ghetto is a school that teaches lessons that can not be learnt anywhere else.
  6. The Biggest lesson he got was the struggling, it hardened him and made him a stronger person at the end of the day.
  7. At one time Winky D Was a TV Presenter
  8. Winky D says he did not start Zimdancehall, but took it to another level
  9. He says friends approached him and started the website zimdancehall.com

Politics

  • Winky D says his music is not political, but is social commentary
  • WInky D says the song Jecha is an example where street lingo got into parliament. Politician took street lingo and used it for their own purpose.
  • Winky D says he never got an official statement to says his songs were banned at ZBC.
  • Winky D says he does not feel a threat in Zimbabwe.

Challenges

  • The currency issues in Zimbabwe mean that its default for artists in Zimbabwe to spread out internationally.
  • There are no longer any record labels with structures for identifying talent and distributing music.

Collaborations

  • Winky D said he has had collaborations with international artists after he performed with him on stage.
  • He said internationally, Zimbabwean artists go into collaboration as underdogs. They have to pay $20 000 for collaboration, $10 000 for the video and $5000 for the video, its costly.
  • Winky D says he has explored the avenue, and does not want to do things for the hype. he says most artist they approach for collaborations are just interested in money. He says although he wants to invest in his career, these costly collaborations do not make financial sense.

International 

  • Winky D says many Zimbabweans want artists to be popular in foreign countries before they consider them popular in Zimbabwe.
  • Zimbabweans must change their mindset and appreciate what they have, even before it is validated by other people

Technology

Winky D says there are good and bad sides of technology. The apple stores and other streaming channels are good. However, piracy has also caused problems as his songs are being shared on platforms such as whatsapp.

Hair

Winky D says his hair grows naturally and he leaves it to grow.

New Music

Winky D says the coronavirus has made it difficult to plan. He said if the pandemic ends he might release something for the festive season.