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Nicholas Zakaria

Tawanda Marwizi Arts Correspondent
“There are promoters in South Africa who want to promote my music, especially the upcoming album but they just rushed to make announcements before we finalised. The album is not yet ready and we are just going to have an ordinary show.” Contrary to reports and advertisements announcing that he will launch his 27th album in South Africa next week, sungura musician Nicholas Zakaria has said the tour has nothing to do with a new album since he has not recorded new material yet.

Posters circulating on social media and some newspaper articles suggest the musician will be launching his album at Brits Town Hall in SA on July 29. The musician said he has no new album and would not want his fans to be confused. “I have seen the adverts and they are misleading. Yes, we are going to SA for shows but I am not launching an album,” he said.

The musician said there were promoters who approached him saying they wanted to market his upcoming album and he told them he would have finer details when the release is ready.

“There are promoters in South Africa who want to promote my music, especially the upcoming album but they just rushed to make announcements before we finalised. The album is not yet ready and we are just going to have an ordinary show.”

The musician said he will be talking of a new offering sometime in August. “I cannot say anything concerning the album now because we have not yet booked the studio. It needs time to work on an album. Maybe in August I will have a clear picture,” he said.

He could not tell the way forward saying he would engage the promoters first before taking any action. “I will have to talk to them first and know if the posters going around on social media are the same that are on the streets there,” he said.

Efforts to get comment from the promoters were fruitless as their mobile phones were unreachable. Zakaria is not the first musician to fall prey to promoters who market gigs promising release of unfinished albums. Recently musician Oliver Mtukudzi’s album was said to be slated for launch June 22, but it is yet to be released.

Promoters of a gig featuring Mtukudzi and Alick Macheso that was held at the Harare International Conference Centre last month initially announced the former would unveil his “Eheka Nhai Yahwe” album at the show, which was not the case.