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Trust Khosa-Entertainment Reporter

INIMITABLE sungura ace, Alick Macheso, remains king.

He has nothing to prove after 26 years of dominance, since leaving Madzibaba Nicholas Zakaria’s Khiama Boys in 1998.

At 56, his impact remains relevant while his footprints are hard to erase.

He successfully launched his 13th album “Kupa Kuturika” at Alexandra Sports Club in Harare on August 2, attracting a bumper crowd.

His fans showed their loyalty by defending him following unwarranted attacks on social media.

Our sister paper, H-Metro, first raised the ire of fans after questioning his credentials with the deadline “Is Macheso A Spent Force?” on August 7.

After that headline, The Herald ran a poll, which proved that Macheso remains king of sungura.

Macheso’s die-hard fans described the poll as an insult to the superstar.

“Macheso is a doyen of music. He remains unconquered,” said one of his die-hard fans, Mai Nyasha from Pomona.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Herald after commissioning a community borehole in Dzivaresekwa Extension yesterday, Macheso said he would not lose sleep over the criticism.

“The criticism I got from the so-called showbiz experts has made me stronger.

“I have been through the same road before and I know what it means.

“The stick and backlash I got was more of a spark which is giving me power to go,” he said.

Macheso, who conceded it was hard to please fans, said he would not give in to the unfair criticism.

“The reason some people are bitter is because they didn’t understand the method we used in launching this album.

“We did not give people a full album on the same day because of pirates.

“Releasing each song at our own pace on our YouTube channel helped us to gain more views,” said Macheso, fighting back tears.

He also slammed critics who questioned his creativity.

“I believe real fans are the judges of our work and we cannot afford to disappoint them as well.

“As for those who want us to go back to the days of “Shedia” and “Charakupa”, I think they are being unfair to us.

“If I had sounded like the Macheso of 20 years ago, I was still going to get the stick from the same people who are vocal on social media.”

Macheso, who looks after 32 band members, said he remains committed to his fans’ needs.

“I always put my fans and band members first because they are my customers. I have toured the globe because of the support I am getting from my fans. I have never doubted myself as an artiste and I am convinced we are doing the best for them,” he said.

Meanwhile, Macheso was given a warm reception in Dzivaresekwa Extension where he commissioned a borehole in partnership with Pacific Cigarette Company.

“I stayed in Dzivaresekwa 2 from 1983 to 1986 and this place used to be my hunting ground for mice.

“I deliberately mooted this idea of coming up with this project with my partners Jive Zimbabwe and Pacific Cigarette Company.

“I am proud to be here giving back to the community which raised me to reach this level that I will always cherish,” said.