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Ivan Zhakata Arts Correspondent

MUSICIAN Diana Samkange’s versatility in the music industry has charmed young people and the old through her unleashing two parallel fascinating characters in one image.

Diana rebranded her name to Mangwenya in 2015 after she rose to fame as a member of 2BG, an urban groove outfit that rose to fame in 2004.

The songbird on Saturday gave a good performance at Bar Rogue in Harare, ahead of her upcoming album “Gungwa Ndiyerese” to be released on Saturday, which left the crowd hungry for more.

Diana sang various songs from her old albums before her transformation to Mangwenya as well as after her rebranding. Her music thrilled the crowd and kept them glued to the stage with some singing along.

The songbird’s show had an amazing turnout with a female drummer enticing the revelers who could not help but dance to the scintillating instruments.

Some of the revelers could be seen getting into trance as Mangwenya sang the “Gungwa Ndiyerese”, a traditional song that talks about the water and its connection to the ancestors.

Others threw money into Mangwenya’s Mbira case as a form of appreciation to the songbird’s traditional music.

Diana’s manager Stacy Machakaire said Mangwenya’s versatility has proven that she can be a cool and low-key young traditional and cultural ambassador.

“There are two people in one brand. There is Diana Samkange who is young, versatile, creative and who delivers in any genre, then there is Mangwenya who is deep in the sound value, content and the ambience in her ancient songs which are traditional and cultural.

“Diana can still touch lives of young people. She has done three sets continuously which means she is set to deliver on festivals and bigger events in terms of stage presence, entertainment and performance delivery,” she said.

At the show, people demanded more of Diana while others needed more of Mangwenya and she was on stage for more than five hours entertaining the crowd.