Don’t compare me to my father: Peter Moyo

Nyasha Majoni

KWEKWE — Peter Moyo’s debut album as Utakataka Express frontman, Mushonga Mukuru might be doing well on the market but the Young Igwe, as Peter is affectionately known, has warned fans and show-goers alike to avoid comparing him to his late father, Tongai Moyo, the founder of the Kwekwe-based sungura ensemble.Peter told the Financial Gazette this week that, presently, he is not worried about matching the standards set by his father, a sungura ace who, debatably though, was at one time considered the best sungura artist in the country. Dhewa’s prolific music carrier which can be testified by a remarkable number of accolades he won, including the once revered NAMA awards, in a career that spanned for over two decades left an indelible mark and a legacy in the music industry.

When Dhewa succumbed to cancer known as Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma a couple of years ago, many wondered whether Peter, Tongai’s son who became the heir apparent to the Utakataka throne, would be able to maintain the brand his father had created. Soon after the tragic demise of Dhewa, most band members, who had been perennial loyalists to Utakataka, made a dramatic U-turn and deserted Peter after having been lured by the green-colored United States dollars literally dangled in front of them by controversial businessman-cum-musician Energy Mutodi of Mutodi Stars whom they opted to join.

When chanter Congolese-born Shiga Shiga and talented dancer, Spenser Khumbuyani left, there was a lot of skepticism among local music fans who doubted Peter’s ability to steer the ship his iconic father had left. Apart from the fact that all odds were stacked against him, Peter assembled a competitive ensemble and has now appeared to have withstood the disproportionate pressure amidst the hurdles. 
Speaking to the Financial Gazette, Peter said he is not under any pressure to match the standards set by his father while hinting that he intends to set standards that other musicians should match. The soft-spoken musician revealed that he is a different music personality saying it is naïve for fans to  compare him to the late Dhewa.

“Well, when we work as Utakataka, we are not worried at all about matching mudhara’s standards. Of course, he was a revered musician but there is absolutely no need for fans to compare our latest product with dad’s hits. We are a different Utakataka Express and I am not worried about matching dad’s standards. He left a legacy. But I am Peter and I have my own style which might be slightly different to that of mudhara. I also want to set standards that other musicians should match,” Peter said during an interview last week.

The 24-year old singer who, according to recent press reports had a bitter clash with dreadlocked musician Dino Mudondo over a girl, dismissed the reports as defamatory and slanderous while adding that the alleged scuffle was a creation of journalists who ‘cook’ up stories for motives best known to them. He said it was regettable that scribes abuse their journalistic previledges by writing stories marred by falsified statements.
“I only read about the said clash between Dino and myself in the media. I do not mind about what you guys write because that is your business but frankly, I am not aware of that. No one should be concerned about my private life and people should mind their own businesses. Journalists have the power to write but they should just mind their own businesses. I am not a fighter and cannot fight over a girl,” he said.

Added Peter; “I can say criticism has played a significant part in my carreer. Infact I like what people say negatively about me. When they say I am not good at singing, I practice more so that I become what they want me to be and when they say I cannot dance very well, I try to improve on that.”