Lee McHoney
BY FREEMAN MAKOPA
AWARD-WINNING Afro-fusion songbird Linda Nyauchi, popularly known as Lee McHoney in musical circles, has hogged the limelight through her tracks Uthando and Omthandayo and at one time worked with notable local musicians such as Jah Prayzah as a backing vocalist on the song Chipo from the album Kutonga Kwaro.
In a wide-ranging interview with NewsDay Weekender Life & Style yesterday, McHoney said she had been a victim of unwelcome sexual advances in the industry.
“Well, I have been a victim of advances, but I have never fallen for it. It’s annoying when people get your hopes high saying that they want to help sponsor your career, but with a hidden agenda,” she said.
McHoney believes such behaviour has affected many female artistes in their bid to achieve their dreams in the music industry.
Music journey
The songbird discovered her gift when she was still seven and has, over the years, drawn inspiration from the late Chiwoniso Maraire.
She, however, indicated that she was slowly gravitating towards acting.
“Now, I am really shifting into acting, but more like expanding into it. Music will always be my first love, but I’m willing to explore other areas of art to exercise my artistic nature. My music has been received better than I expected, being an artiste from Matabeleland, it’s hard to break national barriers,” she said.
McHoney also hinted on releasing new projects this year.
“I did not drop any new projects at the end of 2019, but 2020 looks bright and I’m ready to hit the studio again and I’m looking forward to working on notable projects,” she said.
Fame
McHoney is considered one of the fastest rising artistes from Bulawayo, although she felt she was yet to reach celebrity status.
“I worked hard to achieve my goals and released an album titled Sana last year. I feel that’s when people started paying attention. I’m not sure if I have reached celebrity status yet, but I’m working towards it,” she said.
Darkest moments
“My darkest moment in life was when I lost my mother in 2015 to cancer. It was so heart-breaking. I had never gone through anything like that in my life and I was scared,” she said.
“I like hanging out at the park, watching nature. My favourite food would be pizza,” she said.
“If I wasn’t a musician, I’d probably be a full-time actress or a TV presenter. Art has always been part of me, even though I am a qualified computer engineer, the field never worked for me,” she said.
