BY SINDISO DUBE
AFTER trying his hand in Qgom, Kwaito and hip-hop, Bulawayo musician Shane “Sugar Shane” has once again shown his versatility in a new dancehall track dubbed Ndidongorere, featuring talented vocalist The Dawg.
Speaking to NewsDay Life & Style on his recent shift of sound, the artiste said it was a natural move.
“Dancehall is now an integral part of popular Zimbabwean culture. Venturing into dancehall is a natural move since I am quite versatile in my style of delivery and it’s a genre I enjoy listening to,” he said.
“One of my favourite producers sent me the beat and I was blown away by the vibe. So I started writing and out came the song. It’s not a complete change in sound because I didn’t try to sound like a Zimdancehall artiste. I just added a Bulawayo feel to the track. I’m probably the most versatile artiste from Bulawayo. As a songwriter, my pen is quite prolific and I easily move between sounds.”
Ndidongorere has a high dancehall tempo, with The Dawg on the chorus with his Shona dancehall chants. Sugar Shane complements the efforts with Ndebele rhymes in two verses in a dancehall delivery fused with kwaito.
“The song will definitely help me reach wider audiences, particularly in Harare. Hopefully it will be the bridge for my music and wider audiences around Zimbabwe,” Sugar Shane said.
“A lot of people were not expecting this type of music from me, but I have been told I did the song justice and hopefully the rest of Zimbabwe will feel the same way.”
Sugar Shane made waves with the Qgom Life album which he delivered with his group, Black Diamond, before releasing his solo EP, Two Teaspoons, which carries tracks such as Mavuso and Majaivana.
