Speaker 1: I'm always always, sir.
Speaker 2: Be careful.
Speaker 3: Love those umboo.
Speaker 1: Let We'll use your head. They will tear you up.
Speaker 2: Lack a purple talk. Oh no, no, no, yeah, yeah yeah yeah,
Speaker 2: oh no no no.
Speaker 4: Hi. I'm Amanda and I'm Rumby. Welcome to its lay It.
Speaker 2: We're in a long distance friendship that started over twenty
Speaker 2: years ago when we were in high school.
Speaker 3: We'll be talking about all things life, love, family, anything
Speaker 3: and everything else under the sun.
Speaker 2: Delve deeper with us because in life, you know my layers.
Speaker 2: Oh no, no, no, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. Hello everybody, and
Speaker 2: welcome to a brand new episode of its Layered podcast.
Speaker 4: Today.
Speaker 2: We are very excited. We've got a special guest in
Speaker 2: the build and we're gonna tell you a little bit
Speaker 2: more about them. So we've got Hilsey born Hilary Chipunza
Speaker 2: is one of Zimbabwean's most promising and exciting upcoming contemporary
Speaker 2: urban musicians who has already built a dedicated following across
Speaker 2: the globe using his unique voice, poignant lyrics and captivating
Speaker 2: vulnerability that's for sure. In twenty seventeen, Hilsey had a
Speaker 2: breakout year when he released Murora, an Impassion and stripped
Speaker 2: down love ballad that dominated radio and streaming platforms todate.
Speaker 2: The song is known as one of Zimbabwe's quintessential wedding songs.
Speaker 3: After releasing his commercially acclaimed Sicana EP, which we loved
Speaker 3: and which we shouted out on this podcast featuring chat
Speaker 3: topping collaborations with Shasha and Jimmy Griffiths, Hilsey continued to
Speaker 3: tour and perform within and out of Zimbabwe. After the
Speaker 3: success of Tisicana. Hilsey has now just released his latest EP,
Speaker 3: in the Building. Welcome to it Laid Podcast. Hilsey, you're
Speaker 3: in the building and our is laid podcast Building.
Speaker 2: We're great, Thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 4: You have say it's hell in the building.
Speaker 2: If anything el say in the building, that's you know
Speaker 2: tagline anytime you sung the song. Yeah, we're so stoked
Speaker 2: to have you as fans of your music and your work,
Speaker 2: ethic and everything you're currently up to. Anyone who knows
Speaker 2: the in the building the anthem for us. I think
Speaker 2: Amanda and I were talking about it earlier before we
Speaker 2: started recording. Narrow is our anthem for the people.
Speaker 4: Jes listen to it.
Speaker 2: So before we get all into you know the music
Speaker 2: and all that. We just wanted to say, Hilsey, who
Speaker 2: is Hilsy? How would you describe yourself or how would
Speaker 2: those closest to you describe you?
Speaker 1: So Hill was he's an artist during the night, I
Speaker 1: would say, in a producer, and then during the day,
Speaker 1: I am an iOS developer. Sorry, I make apps for
Speaker 1: like iPhones. That's that's what I did, like for school.
Speaker 1: I'm also into a little bit of farming. I help
Speaker 1: my parents there out there farm. But yeah, essentially that's me.
Speaker 1: The closest to me actually call me mister Massin. So
Speaker 1: if you ever hear anything that says this is a
Speaker 1: mister Massine production, I actually composed. So yeah, that's that's
Speaker 1: pretty much who he is. I'm ah, it's kind of busy.
Speaker 1: If I'm not at the farm, I'm here like recording,
Speaker 1: or if I'm not here then you know, I'm on
Speaker 1: my computer making apps. But yeah, that's that's really about me.
Speaker 2: Wow, talk about faceated in all ways, Like, yeah, I
Speaker 2: studied computer engineering at u ce T, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, we saw the reference to long streets like yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1: But yeah, I was I was at uc T and
Speaker 1: that's when pretty much like the whole hills my career started,
Speaker 1: I would say, because I was fresh out of high school,
Speaker 1: I went to send Faith it's a mission screen recabbict
Speaker 1: uh and most of the time it was just like
Speaker 1: corel stuff, you know, like choir Stretcher Union. And I
Speaker 1: always had a dream of, like, you know, I want
Speaker 1: to buy myself like a microphone. So I pretty much
Speaker 1: bought like the you know, your modern day podcasters set
Speaker 1: up like a young my condenser. And then I started
Speaker 1: just watching YouTube videos. So it's like it's either I'm
Speaker 1: in lectures or you know, like I'm playing around with
Speaker 1: the computer. So by the time twenty seventeen, I was
Speaker 1: actually I actually I was graduating years. So that's when
Speaker 1: I came up with Mura. And yeah, ever since, like
Speaker 1: pretty much people you know started recognizing me for like
Speaker 1: the music kind of thing. But yeah, that's wonderful.
Speaker 4: Shout out to the suspect.
Speaker 2: That's where my mom's from.
Speaker 4: What I do, what I do. How would you describe
Speaker 4: your own journey to music?
Speaker 3: I mean, you spoke about being in recapent honing, but
Speaker 3: since when Murroa came out to now, what has that
Speaker 3: journey been.
Speaker 1: Like, Yo, it's been a roller coaster because what's crazy
Speaker 1: is what people are seeing now is what I was
Speaker 1: seeing myself in twenty sixteen. So it's like I've been
Speaker 1: trying to paint this picture.
Speaker 5: You know.
Speaker 1: It's like, Yo, I'm this guy. You know, this is
Speaker 1: what I'm trying to do or where I'm trying to
Speaker 1: be at. So if anything, it's it has been such
Speaker 1: a rollercuster because sometimes you feel like, okay, fine, some
Speaker 1: people get it, but for the most of it, people
Speaker 1: you know, don't really get or they're not really seeing
Speaker 1: the vision. So it's it really has had its ups
Speaker 1: and downs. But I'm just so grateful that, you know,
Speaker 1: in life, any form of like success comes with like consistency.
Speaker 1: There's no one who is successful in life who's not consistent.
Speaker 1: So I'm just grateful I was consistent through and through,
Speaker 1: you know, and I can't really say I've made much
Speaker 1: or I've made much here. This is really like the beginning.
Speaker 1: But a lot of people give up when they don't,
Speaker 1: you know, get something in return. So I'm just grateful
Speaker 1: that for me, it was like Jim, you know, you
Speaker 1: do it like every day. It's like food, Yeah, you
Speaker 1: eat food every day, So I'm just at the consistency
Speaker 1: pretty much, you know, helped me. But you know, I cannot,
Speaker 1: I honestly can not like describe all the feelings like
Speaker 1: in one way or I can just say it's in
Speaker 1: a road and coster, you know. Yeah, but yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: and I'm truly grateful for the journey.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, that's really really dope, And I think it
Speaker 2: seems to be a thing that I keep hearing more
Speaker 2: and most like, if you want to do something, you've
Speaker 2: got to be consistent.
Speaker 4: Even when people don't.
Speaker 2: See the vision or where you're headed. How was it
Speaker 2: like in terms of your family and friends, were they
Speaker 2: supported from jump or how did that dynamic work out
Speaker 2: for you in wanting to do music?
Speaker 1: So from a friend's perspective, I think my friends already
Speaker 1: knew that. Like I was a music head, used to
Speaker 1: know like all the latest songs that were out, you know,
Speaker 1: like and then when I slowly recorded my first first song,
Speaker 1: I think it was like FOLM full back, you know,
Speaker 1: like after writing exams, everyone wants to do something, and
Speaker 1: I was like, I'm going to record my best single.
Speaker 1: So people pretty much were like, now we're rooting for you.
Speaker 1: But at a whole. Obviously, it was something that's so
Speaker 1: foreign because like my dad is a doctor with a provasion,
Speaker 1: and he was just like, not the books.
Speaker 4: My bands.
Speaker 1: And I beg in the day. In the day, like
Speaker 1: he used to say, I could buy you any kind
Speaker 1: of textbook, no matter how expensive it is, as opposed
Speaker 1: to buy and you like, say like a PlayStation. You know,
Speaker 1: That's that's how hard he was like with education. So
Speaker 1: to me, it was like, okay, fine, I'll do this.
Speaker 1: I'll do the education side of things, and then later
Speaker 1: on I'll get to do what I you know, what
Speaker 1: I want. So after a levels, that's when I was like,
Speaker 1: I even he wanted me to go and study medicine
Speaker 1: and use it. But at the back of my head,
Speaker 1: I was like, nah, if I stay close to him,
Speaker 1: I feel like I'm not going to expand you know
Speaker 1: in terms of like music or just be myself and
Speaker 1: find myself. So that's how I thought, to, you know,
Speaker 1: go study computer science Cape Town. And that's when I,
Speaker 1: you know, essentially like built everything up so here and
Speaker 1: there they would hear. People would be.
Speaker 6: Like I want to ask, and I just brushed it off,
Speaker 6: just brushed it over. I'm like my dad will be
Speaker 6: like what it is and I'm like a oldes you know,
Speaker 6: you're just so it was really hard until I think
Speaker 6: I released a mine.
Speaker 1: So when I released her, my came back to ZIM
Speaker 1: for a holiday and then a lot of like you're
Speaker 1: like you sounding so sweet or whatever, and then my
Speaker 1: mom hadn't actually listened to the song, and she listened
Speaker 1: to it. She cried. She literally cried, and I was
Speaker 1: just like, Okay, maybe you might be onto something. So
Speaker 1: my mom was lokly tolerating at that point. And then
Speaker 1: I'll say after and now mura, I actually I have
Speaker 1: my dad in the music video. My mom as well,
Speaker 1: so they knew I was doing it like low key.
Speaker 1: But one day I just ended up picking up the
Speaker 1: core and I'm like, yo, I'm doing this music video
Speaker 1: and can you please come there with the farm. They're
Speaker 1: like okay, to do giars thin and I'm like yes,
Speaker 1: it's just it's just come through. So I think that's when,
Speaker 1: And that was twentish seventeen when they also knew I
Speaker 1: was graduating, So I think that's when I got like
Speaker 1: the official stem from my from my parents, but everyone
Speaker 1: else was upproving. But ever since then when I also
Speaker 1: got that low key parents or blessing. You know, that's
Speaker 1: when the music also really started, like you know, doing
Speaker 1: around and so now now and then I'm being like
Speaker 1: earrands with my mom. People are just like hey, I'm chatting,
Speaker 1: you know, like every day. She's also like, yeah, I
Speaker 1: greet them back, you know.
Speaker 3: Shout out to your parents real.
Speaker 2: For sure. We've spoken about this in other episodes, right, Amanda,
Speaker 2: about parents and like how it's I think it's really
Speaker 2: hard for especially African parents to grasp that we have
Speaker 2: dreams different to what they thought should be our dreams.
Speaker 2: You know, it's it's changed. Yeah, you know, I would.
Speaker 1: I saw this on Twitter one day where like, you know,
Speaker 1: girls are just sharing the experiences, say when they got
Speaker 1: pregnant versus like let's say they were not married, and
Speaker 1: then to a point where now like then versus now,
Speaker 1: and then it's like the parents are so inseparable with
Speaker 1: their grandchildren. They were so you know. But so I
Speaker 1: feel like it was the same with my journey because
Speaker 1: now when I'm out and I'm with my dad, he
Speaker 1: is like, okay, I'm doctor Shipunza and then all of
Speaker 1: a sudden goes rooms here but at first, but at
Speaker 1: first amount of friction that was there, you know, So
Speaker 1: I to add on to that, it's a hundred percent.
Speaker 1: I think our parents have like the best for us,
Speaker 1: and sometimes the best for us is and what they
Speaker 1: really envision the vision.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, so you've just pretty much answered what I
Speaker 3: was gonna ask you next.
Speaker 4: What has it taken for you to make it this far?
Speaker 3: And you know, it sounds like with parents obviously there
Speaker 3: was that journey as you just described, But what do
Speaker 3: you think personally you've had to sacrifice to make it
Speaker 3: this fansim Babblian music scene.
Speaker 1: I think I've sacrificed a lot of time. I don't
Speaker 1: really I'm not really outgoing. So the music is out there,
Speaker 1: but it's for me. It's either like I'm in the
Speaker 1: studio or you know, I'm working on something else or
Speaker 1: even like so, I think another thing that attributes to
Speaker 1: my life being busy is I'm an only child. So
Speaker 1: you can imagine being an only child and your parents,
Speaker 1: don't you They're scared you might you know, not make
Speaker 1: it in school or like in the music scene as well.
Speaker 1: So the pressure has always been like at the back
Speaker 1: of my head and also like just showing a culture.
Speaker 1: You know, people are just like being persantly like nah,
Speaker 1: you're the only one you need to fight, you know,
Speaker 1: that kind of thing. So I think I've really sacrificed
Speaker 1: like a lot of time, like in the like in
Speaker 1: the music, like you're saying when you say like quality.
Speaker 1: So I think what differs, what differentiates me from other
Speaker 1: artists is I think a lot of people have like
Speaker 1: say seven people working on their music, Like they go
Speaker 1: and recorded someone studio and then someone mixes it and
Speaker 1: masters it. For me, it's like everything like beats I record,
Speaker 1: you know, I pretty much do everything in house, which
Speaker 1: has helped me as well because it's like it has
Speaker 1: maintained the vibes and the ethic as well. But I'm
Speaker 1: also getting to a point where I also want people
Speaker 1: who share the same vision, who are also as hardworking
Speaker 1: as I am, you know, pretty much like help me
Speaker 1: out with the work. So I do have like a
Speaker 1: few friends like a beatsmith we were also together, ucity,
Speaker 1: but you also make some of my beats and you
Speaker 1: master some of my stuff. I also trust him, So
Speaker 1: I would say I think the journey is really just
Speaker 1: you know, I've sacrificed so much time, even sometimes when
Speaker 1: friends are like yo, he was in Google you know
Speaker 1: December from Disember.
Speaker 4: No, you know, you know, like.
Speaker 1: But yeah, I think that's for me. That's like the
Speaker 1: biggest sacrifice.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but you know what, it's so commendable, Hillsy. You
Speaker 3: are honing your craft. Yes, you are knowing your music
Speaker 3: through and through and you can't you know, people say
Speaker 3: it takes what ten thousand hours? What is it to
Speaker 3: because you are literally putting that work and that time.
Speaker 4: In and it shows.
Speaker 3: It's evident, you know, So don't knock yourself, can descend,
Speaker 3: can wait?
Speaker 4: You know, and you can hear it.
Speaker 2: And we were talking about how we can listen to
Speaker 2: your music top to bottom, like we listen body of
Speaker 2: works are a body of work that you can just
Speaker 2: listen to, and not even the biggest artists out there
Speaker 2: are like, not many are able to pull that off, Charanty,
Speaker 2: you know. And also it definitely definitely shows. And you've
Speaker 2: also collaborated with some heavy weights, you know, Shasha Gemma,
Speaker 2: friend of the podcast and recently been featured on BBC Africa. Firstly,
Speaker 2: I would like to know who are your musical inspirations
Speaker 2: and then what is your dream collaboration if you were
Speaker 2: able to.
Speaker 1: To say okay, so by So, I listened to a
Speaker 1: lot of Chris Brown. I listened to hip hop. Let's
Speaker 1: just say hip hop. So two thousand and eight hours
Speaker 1: in form damn. That's that's a long time ago. I
Speaker 1: was in porn four yearn for and the crazy was
Speaker 1: just you know, Chris Brown and a Beyonce you know,
Speaker 1: Rick Cross. That that year of music for me. I
Speaker 1: think I still think that that's like the epic sound,
Speaker 1: you know, like I feel like all these other like
Speaker 1: songs that are coming out now are just really rooting
Speaker 1: from that year. So a lot of Chris Brown, a
Speaker 1: lot of Drake low Wayne sometimes when it comes to
Speaker 1: just like writing, you know, like saying you know, smart things.
Speaker 1: But mostly right now because Drake and Chris Brown are
Speaker 1: still releasing, I listen to them. Then, Like in Africa,
Speaker 1: I listened to Blackie, I listened to Nasty See, and
Speaker 1: then locally I listened to like underground artists. I listened
Speaker 1: to Young mccannie. I listened to another kid called Simdom.
Speaker 1: But if you literally just listen to the whole catalog, yeah,
Speaker 1: that's pretty much where I get, Like my sound in
Speaker 1: my inspiration from. But back in the day when I
Speaker 1: was growing up, my mom used to listen to a
Speaker 1: lot of Two Group and a lot of Ciboma Cabani.
Speaker 1: So there's also like a lot of gospel that's that
Speaker 1: is bagged, you know, like my music as well. So
Speaker 1: it's a bunch. But now I'd say for me, it's
Speaker 1: Drake and Chris Brown, and the goal honestly is to, yeah,
Speaker 1: I just have a song with Chris Brown. I don't know.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, Chris be loving as Africa's I will say,
Speaker 2: we can manefest that for you.
Speaker 4: It's gonna ask manifest for sure, for sure.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: And I also when I when I've been recording or
Speaker 1: like composing, my aim has always been to like I
Speaker 1: remember as far as like I was in high scrub,
Speaker 1: like how do I make my song or my voice
Speaker 1: sound you know, like this urban song it wasn't really
Speaker 1: about you know, I'm a rapper and I'm gonna make
Speaker 1: it beyond that. It was like the quality you guys
Speaker 1: are speaking of, Like I'm so I would rather sing
Speaker 1: crap and having like thequality I want someone to like say,
Speaker 1: playing American song and then if they press next it
Speaker 1: needs to be seamless with you know, like with my
Speaker 1: song Heal this song. So that's what I've been pushing for,
Speaker 1: like you know, beyond like just the message. So yeah,
Speaker 1: those guys or say just La inspires me a lot,
Speaker 1: like in terms of like music, because I just think
Speaker 1: that's that's like the end again. So yeah, hopefully I'll
Speaker 1: beat there. I mean, right now I'm speaking to Chris
Speaker 1: Brown's producer. He's actually been sending me beats, so we're working,
Speaker 1: but it's almost like I'm just one person away, and
Speaker 1: I just hope like to be like, hey, I see you.
Speaker 1: But yeah, it's only a matter of time and and
Speaker 1: I honestly just trust the process. I'm just going to
Speaker 1: keep doing me because that's what I've been doing, you know.
Speaker 3: So yeah, the key I think that is seriously the key.
Speaker 3: Do you do you enjoy touring, playing at live shows,
Speaker 3: meeting your fans. I know you said you like to
Speaker 3: keep yourself, but I'm sure when it comes to your
Speaker 3: music you do enjoy out there.
Speaker 1: I'm being like, I'm such I'm such an introvert, right,
Speaker 1: And what's wild is when you meet someone you don't
Speaker 1: you don't know where the you specifically is coming from
Speaker 1: which song and what message do they like, what do
Speaker 1: they perceive you as like in that moment in time.
Speaker 1: So it's a bunch of reactions from a bunch of people,
Speaker 1: all at the same time. So sometimes I get I hell,
Speaker 1: get overwholm because I'm also that kind of a person
Speaker 1: who if I get to a place, I want to
Speaker 1: speak to everyone. If someone says quite neany quite mean,
Speaker 1: I want to be there. But you're like, man, I
Speaker 1: honestly can't be there for you know, all of you guys.
Speaker 1: So yeah, but the moments that I cherish the most
Speaker 1: are so sometimes like I said, I'm into farming. I
Speaker 1: help my parents, so sometimes don't want to know my industry.
Speaker 1: You know, two more in Downtown getting like my parts
Speaker 1: and then you were like, you know, like one of
Speaker 1: the ones. I love those because like we can have
Speaker 1: a full orverisation without people disturbing or when it shows
Speaker 1: it's a different thing all together. I do love the
Speaker 1: you know, the tension or at least like the feedback.
Speaker 1: You know, people are happy because you're seeing you're doing something,
Speaker 1: So yeah, I love that. But yeah, and then yeah,
Speaker 1: I just need to do what I do on stage leander,
Speaker 1: but once once I get on stage as well, you know,
Speaker 1: when you just have something kicking, it's like diving into water.
Speaker 1: At first, you know, could dive and then all of
Speaker 1: a sudden, once you dive, you're in there. So that's
Speaker 1: what always happens. I'm so nervous before I get on stage.
Speaker 1: I'm like, any go over, you know, like the nerve
Speaker 1: pone just goes, or if people just start wearing bottles, you.
Speaker 4: Know, but nerves and nerves are good. People say nerves
Speaker 4: are good.
Speaker 3: Nerves show you care, so it's it's it's good. It's
Speaker 3: a good thing, and buse you hone them and still,
Speaker 3: you know, do your show.
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, it's And I think one thing also that
Speaker 1: I forgot to mention was so most of these things,
Speaker 1: or the music, I was in Cape Town because I
Speaker 1: have more of an online presence than a public you know, presence.
Speaker 1: So when I got back to ZIM, it was also
Speaker 1: like so different because in Cape Town, I was just
Speaker 1: like a normal you know, developer, wake up, do it.
Speaker 1: But you know it's so different. You know, I can't
Speaker 1: do that anymore. And I so it's I I've definitely adjusted,
Speaker 1: but I'm not yet there you know where I can
Speaker 1: be like, ah, this is me, you know, because all
Speaker 1: the time it's it's going to be someone And I
Speaker 1: love it because people share their personal stories. So some
Speaker 1: of them like you use I'm a fan actually so
Speaker 1: yeah as a proposer or so yeah, you know, it's
Speaker 1: it's those old gems that then help me and be
Speaker 1: like ah, if I get back in the studio, I'm like,
Speaker 1: I know who I'm doing this for. Beyond me, it's
Speaker 1: someone also the people that I inspire in like different ways.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a perfect segue because then I wanted to
Speaker 2: ask you what you want those who listen to your
Speaker 2: music to ganer most from listening to your music? So
Speaker 2: what do you want people to receive from it? Seems
Speaker 2: like you're making your music, you know your audience, you
Speaker 2: know who you're making it for. What do you want
Speaker 2: them to take away when they listen to your music?
Speaker 1: But that's that's that's a deeper question to.
Speaker 2: Be Yeah, we dont deeper.
Speaker 4: Yeah yeah there.
Speaker 1: Well, So for me, I just want people to know
Speaker 1: that there's a real and authentic music or like authentic connections.
Speaker 1: You can genuinely connect with people through music because there
Speaker 1: are people who like, let's say, so Jakari. So, I
Speaker 1: don't know if you guys know about Jakari, but Jakari
Speaker 1: is like g Isy's producer is actually yes, so he's
Speaker 1: the one I did with. He moved on from La.
Speaker 1: He's not staying in younger but he yeah, literally is
Speaker 1: like you. I want to work with you. And I
Speaker 1: learned so much from him. And one of the things,
Speaker 1: at least what he said to me is like your
Speaker 1: music has so you know, like it is so as
Speaker 1: in you. You listen to a song and like and
Speaker 1: you want to be like, ha, who's this person? Or
Speaker 1: you want to know more about that person. It's like
Speaker 1: when you're drinking something that's delicious, mombertarities about yeah yeah yeah,
Speaker 1: right as opposed you. And there's some people there's something
Speaker 1: there's some songs or some artists who like you listen
Speaker 1: to it, but it's just at the top of your
Speaker 1: mind is what I just know, like is and that's it.
Speaker 1: So I think for me, it's it's it's that's so
Speaker 1: that's under the music that I just want people to
Speaker 1: know that genuinely you can make connections with music. There's
Speaker 1: people who I meet in the like tombajin Drew Father
Speaker 1: and they're like mister my saying, and they start telling
Speaker 1: me where I stay, you know, like all these things
Speaker 1: like they know me. It's like even when we chill,
Speaker 1: it's like this person genuinely gets me. So it's like
Speaker 1: I feel like I'm just another soul that just represents
Speaker 1: a million more out there and how they also feel.
Speaker 1: And yeah, like connections within music also genuinely, like you know, exist,
Speaker 1: So for me, I think that's what is also like
Speaker 1: keeping the music, you know, going, because people hear the soul.
Speaker 1: It's it's not about if the if the beat is
Speaker 1: a banger or you know, if there's bars or not.
Speaker 1: More than anything is just like the soul. It's soul
Speaker 1: for music, and you know, you can listen to it
Speaker 1: and you can just really feel online or you can
Speaker 1: start thinking about stuff. You can start thinking about your life.
Speaker 1: Music that actually makes you sit down and you know,
Speaker 1: like being another place. So I think that's what I
Speaker 1: want people to feel when they when they listen to
Speaker 1: my to my music at the end of the day,
Speaker 1: that's dope.
Speaker 2: And the vulnerability also shines through, the authenticity shines through.
Speaker 2: I absolutely get what you're saying about some music you
Speaker 2: listen surface level, like you just yeah yeah, but like
Speaker 2: when you get And it's funny because my sister is
Speaker 2: a huge Chris Brown fan, and she's like, there's something
Speaker 2: about Chris Brown when he just like sings and and
Speaker 2: I get.
Speaker 4: I get that.
Speaker 2: It's like even though yes, he does so much music,
Speaker 2: but he still has the heart and soul for it.
Speaker 2: So yeah, which is what I feel about Drake, Old Drake. Okay,
Speaker 2: I'm old. Let me not give away my age.
Speaker 4: I feel that way about you know, Old.
Speaker 2: Drake, Thank me later, Drake all that, Like I get
Speaker 2: that from him.
Speaker 3: You know, you've talked a lot about the work you've
Speaker 3: put in into your own music, the journey you've told us.
Speaker 4: What advice would you give.
Speaker 3: To someone who's aspiring to do music within Zimbabwe?
Speaker 1: I would say, so your goals first. I think that's
Speaker 1: number one. It's key because you don't want to be
Speaker 1: like a plastic pig. Paper is so a drill.
Speaker 4: You can you please take a moment to appreciate that back?
Speaker 4: You know what?
Speaker 1: I but do you do you do you understand what
Speaker 1: I'm saying?
Speaker 4: Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 1: Like I think as an artist you need to like
Speaker 1: to find or find your sound to be like this
Speaker 1: is even if I don't know, if I jump on
Speaker 1: this other song, people can tell me this is, this
Speaker 1: is elsy. So I think it's like find your sound,
Speaker 1: you know, set your goals even if R N B
Speaker 1: S Wood, even if you know, just hold your skill,
Speaker 1: like be good at one thing at least like one
Speaker 1: specific genere tot. You know, people should get to a
Speaker 1: point where they know if he was he was on this,
Speaker 1: you would kill it. You know, those kind of vibes
Speaker 1: like cement you I don't know your work and if anything,
Speaker 1: you just you just keep working. For me and Ninny,
Speaker 1: I've avoided a lot of controversies. I've avoided a lot
Speaker 1: of things by just staying in the studio and just working.
Speaker 1: And so for me, I think the work ethic comes
Speaker 1: first as opposed to like these days, I feel like
Speaker 1: social media Instagram people also want to like work on
Speaker 1: an image at the same time they want to work
Speaker 1: like on the sound, and then they want to provoke
Speaker 1: someone so that like all eyes on them, And I
Speaker 1: feel like that's that's not music. When you're doing that,
Speaker 1: that's that's that's showbiz. To be honest, like if you're
Speaker 1: if you really want to be like master craft, like
Speaker 1: just getting the studio work and you you will get better.
Speaker 1: It's like it's like running. If you're going to run around,
Speaker 1: you would first day you're going to do fifteen minutes.
Speaker 1: Second day, maybe forty six weeks later you'll be doing
Speaker 1: like nine minutes. Did you understand? So I feel like
Speaker 1: a lot of people don't put the work in. They
Speaker 1: don't actually put the work ethic to be like I'm working.
Speaker 1: I'm working regardless of if this is going to be
Speaker 1: posted on ZIM celebs or not, or piece or not.
Speaker 1: I feel like it's just it's exercise and you do
Speaker 1: get better. You get feedback from that. So keep working.
Speaker 1: Set your goals and yeah, I just don't be moved
Speaker 1: man Like, set your goals and you know, stick at
Speaker 1: it and once once to achieve your goal, you go
Speaker 1: into the gyp to the next.
Speaker 2: You mentioned that on your BBC Africa interview about how
Speaker 2: you Know. I think there was a question around are
Speaker 2: you going to go into afrobeads or like that genre?
Speaker 2: And I distinctly remember you saying that while I may
Speaker 2: feature on a song for afrobeats or you know, I
Speaker 2: don't see myself going to say I'm going to pursue
Speaker 2: that genre. And I thought that struck me quite a
Speaker 2: bit because I was like, Okay, this is someone who
Speaker 2: knows what he wants and knows what.
Speaker 4: He his music as well.
Speaker 1: What you're laying is what.
Speaker 2: You're good at and he's And people don't like that, right,
Speaker 2: Like some people are like, oh no, you need to
Speaker 2: be able to just and it's like.
Speaker 4: No jump on the trends.
Speaker 2: Yeah, like you obviously do it for the music, and
Speaker 2: you obviously know what you're.
Speaker 4: Doing for me.
Speaker 1: So the reason why I say that, so, for instance,
Speaker 1: an example is with Chargy. The reason why I did
Speaker 1: Chargey was I'd actually listened to that Oaccelate song Oxceolate
Speaker 1: the Infinity Infinity right, and I was like, Yo, this
Speaker 1: is so nice. I want to make something like that.
Speaker 1: And I literally I made that, but obviously I was like,
Speaker 1: I want to make my own, you know different, my
Speaker 1: aphro beat version. However, with Chargy being successful, I can't
Speaker 1: then call myself the afro beat king. Do you understand,
Speaker 1: Like it's one song, I did it nice. It's like
Speaker 1: you're a soccer star, You're LEO. See if you can
Speaker 1: defends walked defend. It's like you you you have to
Speaker 1: have your liking. So that's why I was like, in
Speaker 1: as much as I can make the craft, I can
Speaker 1: work on it, and you know, I just don't have
Speaker 1: a deeper connection to it, you know. And and I
Speaker 1: would know. My ways is to like making a whole
Speaker 1: aprobat album as a verse that he's you know, do
Speaker 1: me a verse. I did a song for a deal
Speaker 1: love story that was very afrobaty, and it worked out
Speaker 1: because I just gave him the verse. But if you
Speaker 1: give me like a hip hop song and R and
Speaker 1: B song, I can tell you from start to finish
Speaker 1: how to layer it, you know, and and how so
Speaker 1: and and I'll know even if I like and if
Speaker 1: someone R and B they're in the US, they can
Speaker 1: resonate to this. They can see who to this person
Speaker 1: is actually full of structure. Oh wow, But we to bridge.
Speaker 1: So that's that's that's that's pretty much what I was saying,
Speaker 1: like one hundred percent, I could could make a pop song.
Speaker 1: I would make a so song, but only as a feature.
Speaker 3: Because so yeah, it's great that you say that, because
Speaker 3: even like GRIMBYA and I were saying with premiere with Gemma.
Speaker 3: We've never heard Gemma sound like that when she was
Speaker 3: on your like no, and you've just proven by saying this,
Speaker 3: and you you led that song for he shed the
Speaker 3: way she sang it, So you've just literally proven exactly
Speaker 3: what you're saying. You're not just saying these words and
Speaker 3: it's empty because we're just saying, oh my gosh, Jemma
Speaker 3: sounds so different, but it fits in with.
Speaker 4: What you're doing.
Speaker 3: So I love that you're able to produce and bring
Speaker 3: that out of her as well.
Speaker 4: Just speaks to your talent, It really does.
Speaker 2: Even Shasha, I think we hadn't heard her current album
Speaker 2: hadn't come out yet, and good Bye it.
Speaker 4: Was still Shasha still the voice.
Speaker 2: But I was like, okay, and now we got a
Speaker 2: lot more of the R and V R and B
Speaker 2: vibes from her in her latest project, I'm.
Speaker 4: Alive, Like do you understand?
Speaker 6: So?
Speaker 2: And I could lay lay but now currently repeats blank,
Speaker 2: I love blink, How you did like.
Speaker 4: That? That beats that progression? How you know that?
Speaker 2: And it's very yeah, like your music often leaves you
Speaker 2: wanting more, like I could listen to this again.
Speaker 4: I want to hear more. So yeah, and it's funny.
Speaker 3: It's funny you mentioned charging because I'm an afrobeat head,
Speaker 3: so Charge has.
Speaker 4: Been on repeat for me.
Speaker 3: But I am I see that, So you see all
Speaker 3: to say, you know, all the work you put in,
Speaker 3: all the intent you put behind your music shows, and
Speaker 3: the quality is unprecedented, and keep going like seriously obviously
Speaker 3: getting what you're trying to put our getting it.
Speaker 1: But you know, like such such an unpopular opinion. So
Speaker 1: I think I'm more of a producer more than I
Speaker 1: like an artist. So all these things just you're telling
Speaker 1: me the sonics and everything I pretty much arranged that,
Speaker 1: you know, as opposed to okay, fine, like yes you
Speaker 1: know you by right lyrics, you know, but I think
Speaker 1: most of the work that I'm even obsessed with. And
Speaker 1: this also comes to like I think I want to
Speaker 1: sign people now. I want to start, like you know,
Speaker 1: bringing other artists. But for me, my my biggest worry
Speaker 1: or concern was in as much as I have all
Speaker 1: this knowledge, I haven't really implemented it. So he'lls has
Speaker 1: pretty much like you know, implemented what I would want
Speaker 1: to envision. Even if I want to sign someone, I
Speaker 1: can easily then say yo, you know, I know these
Speaker 1: guys and I room have a podcast. I know dj
Speaker 1: A do from BBC. It's like, you don't just want
Speaker 1: to be signed and you're seated there, You're also expecting something,
Speaker 1: you know, that kind of a thing. So I feel
Speaker 1: like beyond that, the sonics are definitely helping me build
Speaker 1: this thing that I can then eventually, like you know,
Speaker 1: get to share with other artists and even when I
Speaker 1: record with them, I show them how I do it
Speaker 1: eventually so that you know they can also become someone.
Speaker 1: So yeah, I'm grateful that you guys are telling me
Speaker 1: all these things, are giving me this feedback because it's like, wow,
Speaker 1: it's really coming together.
Speaker 2: No, we see it, and as you don't, like we
Speaker 2: net my bars Long Street.
Speaker 4: I just need right.
Speaker 3: But you know, it's kind of funny you're coming to
Speaker 3: this conclusion that maybe you are more producer because all
Speaker 3: the things you talked about, like touring and sometimes being
Speaker 3: on stage. So maybe it's like now you know the
Speaker 3: whole craft, and now you're deciding I want to you know,
Speaker 3: appreciate the music and take a step back, and like
Speaker 3: that's not bad.
Speaker 4: Is that? Because now you know the whole story.
Speaker 3: So even when you're patting wisdom and people you sign up,
Speaker 3: you know there will no you know what's talking about
Speaker 3: You're not just yes.
Speaker 2: But that's what I'm he did, no, the whole premise,
Speaker 2: like he comes from once in a blue.
Speaker 3: Moon and.
Speaker 4: That was his whole Yeah.
Speaker 1: No, I just wanted to say, So that's what. So,
Speaker 1: mister Maceine, what my scene actually means is massive in house,
Speaker 1: so it's short for that, so it's mass for massive
Speaker 1: and then the I n H is in house, so
Speaker 1: my scene so eventually, yeah, I just want to be
Speaker 1: mister Marcene putting on carriers, you know, like irmb artists,
Speaker 1: hip hop artists based off of like what I've obviously
Speaker 1: done best off my marriage. So that's definitely the goal.
Speaker 1: I don't intend, you know, like to make music the
Speaker 1: whole time. Again, the writing is amazing. I definitely say
Speaker 1: I love how I write, but I want to do
Speaker 1: it for a bigger start, you know, like I really
Speaker 1: hope that you know someone else from ZIM you know,
Speaker 1: who can carry on the torch, but in I want
Speaker 1: to be input on just you know, like writing for
Speaker 1: them and then you know they become a bigger artist.
Speaker 1: Because I've also learned that with the music industry, you
Speaker 1: build with each other and on top of each other,
Speaker 1: you need someone like with Narrow. I didn't make the
Speaker 1: beat for Narrow, neither did I know I was going
Speaker 1: to make it. But someone just send me the beat
Speaker 1: I listened to. I was like, oh my god. And
Speaker 1: it also like unlocked my you know, my writing ability.
Speaker 1: I was like, wow, I had so much fun with it.
Speaker 1: And that's how it should be as well. It's like,
Speaker 1: if I get onto this podcast, I should inspire you guys,
Speaker 1: or at least you should then have a different outlook,
Speaker 1: you know, with regards for like artists or musicians, and
Speaker 1: you know, it builds on top of that. At the
Speaker 1: end of the day, we are all inspired by you
Speaker 1: know someone, and I just want to do that that
Speaker 1: inspirational guy, you know, and beyond that, I think, now
Speaker 1: it's just the proof of work. I'm just building the
Speaker 1: proof of it. And then if you hear now do
Speaker 1: you usually assigned someone, you can also be like I
Speaker 1: would listen to that, to that exactly, I know, I
Speaker 1: know how this guy works, so yeah, vision and vision
Speaker 1: I will.
Speaker 2: Get that's job. No, hellsy, I mean this, this has
Speaker 2: been so much fun. Like talking to you. It's always
Speaker 2: great when you to someone and they match or exceed
Speaker 2: your your not expectations, but like what you thought they
Speaker 2: were and then they you know, exceed or super see
Speaker 2: that like you're just like okay, yeah, it's tracks like tracks.
Speaker 2: Why you know I like the music or you know
Speaker 2: I enjoy or connect with it, So it absolutely makes sense.
Speaker 2: Our final question, I guess would be any upcoming projects
Speaker 2: that you would like to share with us as well
Speaker 2: as your social media.
Speaker 4: If people don't, don't you know, so please let us know.
Speaker 1: I think I'm gonna work on an EP. Another on
Speaker 1: the aim for In the Building was again you heard
Speaker 1: on the BBC interview just to get on the Africa
Speaker 1: and Rollster. So just from the EP, I definitely have
Speaker 1: gotten like you know, proper shoutouts aka show my Jersey, Gigy,
Speaker 1: you know, the Chris Brown producer. Like, there's people who
Speaker 1: are definitely you know, they want to work. So for me,
Speaker 1: it was a question of should I do a deluxe
Speaker 1: of like in the Building with the with the narrow
Speaker 1: remix in there, or do I completely just study a
Speaker 1: new body of work. So right now it's I think
Speaker 1: I'm just gonna start a new body of work because
Speaker 1: I've already I already have songs that I loaded and
Speaker 1: impact beyond the sound. So I found my sound first.
Speaker 1: Now I've found my strategy as well, So I'm just
Speaker 1: going to be implementing that. You know, the numbers are
Speaker 1: amazing in the building and I want to double that
Speaker 1: now hopefully with more like international collaborations as well. And
Speaker 1: then with regards to my socials, uh yeah, it's he'll
Speaker 1: z h I double l z y nine one one.
Speaker 1: The nine one one is completely a random thing. People
Speaker 1: always ask.
Speaker 3: Me like.
Speaker 2: Emergency emergency, isn't it funny when we started out socials,
Speaker 2: you probably didn't even think.
Speaker 4: Then I'm like, I can't go back someone.
Speaker 1: The So so it's like my Twitter. I got onto
Speaker 1: Twitter heels he was already taken and I put it
Speaker 1: nine one one there and then yeah, Instagram came up.
Speaker 1: You know Youtubengo result I think are consistent robo so
Speaker 1: it's nine eleven on all platforms.
Speaker 3: You know, now you need to release an epos. I
Speaker 3: think that's just nine to one one.
Speaker 1: So together, you know what is actually supposed to recall
Speaker 1: eleven past nine? It needs to be nice. I was
Speaker 1: thinking of that, but who knows, you know, like I
Speaker 1: will see how I work with it. But one hundred percent,
Speaker 1: and a lot of people already call me ninet eleven
Speaker 1: like they're like nine eleven, we say nine one one,
Speaker 1: We say so like.
Speaker 3: Our people time the nicknames quick with it. This has
Speaker 3: been absolutely amazing for us. You know, we also love
Speaker 3: how seamlessly you you sing with our language as well,
Speaker 3: with Shana and English intertwined, because that is how rempublicans
Speaker 3: are and I think when you sing like that as well,
Speaker 3: it just resonates so much with us because that's how
Speaker 3: we speak, that's how we interact. And we are big
Speaker 3: fans and cannot wait to see all the things that
Speaker 3: are coming your way, all the manifestations, everything you talked about.
Speaker 4: We wish you all the best.
Speaker 3: We are absolutely stoked that she came onto our podcast
Speaker 3: and yeah, anything else, no, you've.
Speaker 4: Said it all.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Thank you so much, Hilsey. If you haven't
Speaker 2: listened to his music, please check it out. It's on
Speaker 2: Spotify or wherever you guys listen to your music. Yeah,
Speaker 2: it's everywhere. It's it's well worth it, well worth it.
Speaker 4: Mumbo terra bas mumbo.
Speaker 2: You know, but you also thinks a lot of ballads too,
Speaker 2: Lady e B crooning, yes, yeah, no, Thank you so much,
Speaker 2: and thank you, of course, as always for listening to
Speaker 2: another episode of our podcast, It's Layered. If you have questions,
Speaker 2: hit us up. It's Layered Pod at gmail dot com.
Speaker 2: We're on Instagram, it's layered Twitter. It's Layered Pod. You know,
Speaker 2: you know, you know, and thank you so much. We'll
Speaker 2: see you on the next episode. Good Bye, no no no, yeah,
Speaker 2: yeah yeah yeah