10 Artists to Look Out For In 2018

Every beginning of the year I give you 10 artists that I feel will make their marks on the local music scene that year. This year its no exception and today am sharing the ten I feel you should keep your eye on. The artists on this list are those who are not yet household names but the unknown and upcoming who have the potential to become household names. 

1. Tammy

She is growing and maturing with each year and it is showing in her music. I'm a huge fan of Tammy and that is probably the reason why she has featured on this list for quite some time now. Regardless once you listen to her music you will see why i'm such a big fan, listen to her last single Beautiful (Ndozvandiri) first. She is definitely one to watch out for in 2018.

2. Wenyasha

Dancehall maybe the biggest genre right now but in terms of competition the gospel genre is up there if not the most competitive genre. There are many gospel artists vying for that breakthrough and Wenyasha is one among those who has captured my attention. He specializes more on uplifting and worship music and if you take a listen to his tracks such as Ziso RaMwari, Anogona Zvese you will get to understand why I have so much hope in the artist. This may be his breakthrough year so you must keep an eye on him. 

3. Terry Afrika

I love how Terry Afrika is carving out space for himself in the music industry without the need to boot-lick and bribe deejays to play his music on radio. He is making good use of YouTube and it is paying off his track Sarura Wako featuring Tocky & Pah Chihera was a favourite of many last year. He has formed a formidable partnership with Pah Chihera and its winning over new fans each day. He is definitely one to watch out for in 2018

4. Tulk Munny

He made his mark in 2017 with his socially conscious tracks and laid back kind of rapping. He was awarded the best newcomer at the Zim Hip Hop Awards and he deserved the award. He had one of the best hip hop tracks of 2017 with the infectious track Dakutsika Jive. If he carries on like he did last year this will be a big year for him. .

5. Hillzy 

Hillzy is a testament that if you make good music it will be heard. He has been in the music game for some time now but it took the lovely jam Muroora and a feature on Stunner's album to really steer the attention to the young man. He also showcases the power of social media as he earned a cult following on YouTube without any major radio airplay. He released the Overdose EP end of 2017 and from my quick listen it's sounding very good, will publish my review in a couple of weeks. Hillzy will offer some much needed competition to Takura as they have a similar sound and vibe. His contributions got him a nomination at the Zim Hip Hop awards, hr is definitely getting noticed and this may probably be vital year in his career. 

6. Takura

He has carved space for himself in the music industry against all odds and now he is one of the most talked about  artists. He will however for the first time since going solo be facing competition in the face of Hillzy as they sing similar music and are going for a similar sound. He has hinted that he will be dropping an album this year after two very good EP's and every fan of urban music is looking forward to it. This may be the year Takura shoots to the top so you must definitely keep and eye on him. 

7. Dereck Mpofu

This guy has won me over completely, love his style, arrangement and take on music, it's so refreshing. He released the album Godobori album last year which really introduced him to a number of Zimbos with tracks such as Mari (unonaka iwe), Chikwambo, Paivapo...etc. He keeps on improving with every release and I feel this year he will probably take it a step further. 

8. Juntal
The last half of the year the track Mutupo by Juntal was getting a lot of love and airplay on radio stations, many do not know the name but they just know they will be singing about different Mitupo (totems) calling them to showcase their dances. Despite the song being a straight copy of Bebi Philip's  Balaumba the song got many people on the dance-floor. This year Juntal will want to build on the success of Mutupo so he is one we must keep an eye on.

9. Tahle Wedzinza
This is more like a long stretch but I feel that this year we will finally get to know why she was signed to Military Touch Movement. She is an unknown and many asked who she was when JP signed her to MTM but this year she has to let the whole of Zim know what she can do. Last year we got to experience a slice of her talent on the lovely track Hautendeseki but to have a clear picture of what she can do I need to hear more tracks and this is probably the year she gives us something new. 

10. Kambo Boys

Was introduced to these guys some months back on the track Melo and I was really surprised. The track went against my perception about sungura. Started following them then and they went on to release Sweet Larrisa another fantastic track. It seems they are improving with each song and this may be the year they really introduce themselves to the majority of Zimbos.

So those are the ten artists I feel you should keep an eye on this year. Feel free to comment with other artists whom you feel are gonna make significant strides this year... 

Proud_Zimbo