H-Metro
Trust Khosa
ALICK Macheso and Suluman Chimbetu’s handlers believe the two musicians now attract fans who are not just Zimbabweans.
Last weekend, the pair held two sold out gigs in Leicester and Nottingham, which attracted other African nationalities.
Macheso’s publicist, Tich Makahamadze, told H-Metro that they now appeal to other nationalities.
“Over the years, we used to target Zimbabweans who reside here in the UK but, through marketing and social media visibility, we have managed to win hearts of other nationalities, including the British.
“It has always been our wish to perform and entertain multi-racial crowds and we were surprised this time around as the two venues were packed to the brim and there were fans from other countries.
“For the first time in years, fans from other countries such as Botswana, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria and even the British nationals, were a big part of the crowd.
“We have also realised that there was a need for us to work harder and broaden our fan base in order to win the hearts of more fans.”
Makahamadze believes an aggressive marketing plan is important for artists to make a breakthrough overseas.
“In our case, we have noted that aggressive advertising and marketing can make us well known worldwide.
“As a brand, we have realised that we can also market our country in other countries where we perform if we plan our stuff properly.”
Similar sentiments were echoed by Suluman who is set to return to England in August for another show.
“I was humbled by the reception that I got in the UK this time around.
“The two shows opened new doors for us as promoters have contacted us for more shows later in the year.
“I will be performing there in August and it’s a done deal as we speak right now. I was also surprised that more Zimbabweans showed up in numbers.
“Other nationalities were also part of the crowd and it was encouraging to see the two venues packed to the rafters with multi-racial crowds.
“I have also noted that Zimbabwean music is in demand as some of the white people sang along to most of our songs during the two shows.
“We no longer target Zimbabweans resident in the UK but we now have a huge following which likes our music,” he said.
Suluman, who is not new in the UK, has vowed to hold more shows in England to cater for his fans.
“With the number of Zimbabweans flocking to the UK, we now have a big crowd there as home sick fans cheer each time that we visit the country.
“We will continue doing our best to ensure that we cater for them as they have shown a lot of faith in us.
“I have also learnt that professionalism and punctuality do pay during this tour,”he said.
