Dancehall music superstar Winky D is an amazing singer who started keeping his rasta dreadlocks the same year he started singing professionally in 2004.
The locks are now long and he has not had time to measure them but just by looking at him, they seem if unrolled they can roll to his feet.
“I started keeping locks in 2004 and by now they are about 15 years old and very long. I have not measured them,” he said.
While he is not a Rastafarian per say, coincidentally he does not eat. “Personally I don’t eat meat and it is by choice. I don’t know how the rastas do it but as for me I’m just a man and I do things on my own,” he said.
Winky D prefers to keep a lid on his family affairs and only he and his brother Layan are the popularly known Chirumikos. And says he has learnt to separate his family from his music.
“I have a big family, sisters and brothers and my own family but they don’t need to be involved in all this.
Music is a jungle and it has its own challenges which I believe I should not involve them. Let me and Layan do it because we have been in it,” he said.
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| Winky D Proud Of 15 Year Old Locks |
“Just like anybody, I’m immune to criticism and I believe it is how you respond that makes the difference. You have to look at the things and see how they impact on you and the motive of someone saying it.
“We take criticism but some of the things are attacks. When someone rushes on social media to attack you yet they have your number then it means something else. It’s no longer constructive criticism but an attack and maybe their motives will be to gain followers and responding to them will be a waste of time,” he said.
A former Club Dj, Winky D says when foreign musicians come to the country, unlike popular belief that he will be there for competition, his goal will be to learn from them.
“When we perform we do it for the people and what they say afterwards will be beyond our control. When don’t go there with a motive to outshine them but it is the people who come up with judgments after performances. I actually go there to learn and see how they do their stage work,” he said.
Winky D has not only made a name locally but has extended his fan base across the world.
He has been featured on BBC Extra, MTV Base and Trace Africa and recently Coke Studio Africa, all platforms which he believes have opened the doors for him.
He disagreed with the notion that when they perform outside the country they will be performing to only Zimbabweans based there.
“It is not correct that we will only be performing to Zimbabweans. There will be foreigners in there. Some will have been invited by their Zimbabwean friends and some will have heard about you and your music and would pay to see you in action. The number may not be huge but we are working and we have worked to get those people in there.
“The doors have been opened and the music is reaching places I have never been. When I went to BBC, they started by playing Musarova Bigiman and then other songs such as Takaipa Takaipa and Disappear,” he said.
The chanter believes music travels and the only question is if he will be able to reach the places where his music has gone. He recounted how he was called by the term disappear in Kenya.
“Music travels at the speed of lighting and while we will be doing whatever we will be doing, the world will be watching. When I was in Kenya foreigners came to me calling me Disappear. The question now is whether I will be able to reach the places where my music has reached,” he said.
He said his wish is to get an opportunity to perform in Ethiopia again and not because that is where Haile Selassie originated from.
“I once performed in Ethiopia with Tuku at a PSI sanctioned event. I had a few CDs which I gave out but on our way to the airport the following day someone was already trying to sing along to the music. It showed me the effort and the desire of that person and that he had played my CD. It will be good to perform in a country with people with such drive,” he said.
Winky D said innovation is the way to go. “Innovation is the way to go, giving people something with a wow factor. Having collaboration with someone from dancehall is something expected but Vabati VaJehova was something that caught people off guard. There is nothing new under the sun and innovation is the way to go,” he said.
He went on to record another song Paper Bag which was nominated in the hip hop category and promises more styles away from the usual dancehall.
And his music has been taken politically such as Kasong Kejecha. “People interpret things and events differently. I’m happy that art cannot be interpreted in one way.
“Some will describe it as the Disappear of that year, some as social commentary and I have no control over their interpretation,” he said.
While to some a celebrity or someone who makes a living by being in the public domain would be naturally outgoing, this is not a case with Winky D.
He is bold and confident in the limelight but secretly, he is more reserved when it comes to his personal life.
While some expect him to lead the life he portrays in one of his popular videos Paper Bag, the life of ballers, he is not one.
“I have my boys that I hang around with and most of the time is consumed with sporting activities, football. I played soccer before I hung the boots for the mic. I’m not an outgoing person, that is not my style,” he said. DailyNews
