A Career in Music: Q&A with Vuyo Brown.

Award winning musician Vuyo Brown (VB) was our guest on Phakama CareerTALKS. She discusses her career and shares advice on music as a career with CareerTALKS host Nompumelelo Damba (ND) Be inspired!

ND: I will start with the simple one, tell us who is Vuyo Brown.

VB: Vuyo Brown is a Zimbabwean Singer, Songwriter, and Contemporary Christian Musician. Not wanting to be limited to any sound, Vuyo Brown terms herself a multi-genre artist who enjoys exploring the idea and reality of God through art. She’s intentional about her music introducing the listener to a reality outside their own and leaving them revived and wholesome.

ND: What first got you into music and how old were you?

VB: This is a journey isn't it. We lived with my mother at an Anglican missionary school she once taught at and the students would have music or theatrical performances on some weekends. Ah I loved those. I would perform and sing whatever I would have seen the rest of the following week. I was around age seven. I also loved the church services, well, the musical segments. The students singing hymns plus percussion were the reason I'd be attending anyway.

I fell in love with music at a young age, but I remember at 9 years old I decided "this is for me." We were living with my dad in Harare at the time. An uncle of mine was teaching me to play instruments and the music discipline in general and it was so easy for me. I remember my excitement when I discovered my school music teacher (Blakiston Primary School) lived at my uncle's house. It was definitely that year that I knew. I knew. As I grew up I took part in music and entertainment things and sang in different spaces. started singing consistently in front of a crowd at 14 (2006) when I joined the church music team. I was fairly new to this church and my youth leader realised I could sing and from then on made sure I was on the mic every Sunday. I was already in the Vernacular choir at school (and in later years joined Rocappella as well) but this introduced me to the world of singing with a live band, consistently. I was introduced not just to singing with one, but composing and directing music, understanding crowds and creating and controlling an atmosphere on stage. Professionally I started in 2014, and released my first single in 2016.

ND: How would you describe the type of music you make?

VB: I am a Contemporary Christian Artist, this describes my content. Others would say Alternative or contemporary or experimental artist, this describes the sound. Others would say Jazz, Soul or even EDM, now this is because I actually venture into a lot of sounds; I fuse genres a whole bunch.

ND: You one some accolades, and you have been nominated several times for different awards. Can you tell us about that.

VB: Oh yes, just a few, I'll list them:

• 2021 Bulawayo Arts Awards (BAA) Outstanding Female Artiste of the Year

• 2020 Bulawayo Arts Awards (BAA) Outstanding Female Artiste of the Year

• 2020 Zimbabwe Music Awards (ZIMA) Best Jazz Nominee

• 2020 Bulawayo Arts Awards (BAA) Outstanding Alternative Act Nominee

• 2020 Bulawayo Arts Awards (BAA) Song Of The Year Nomination for Thula Wazi

ND: You are more than a music artists , can you tell us about other industries or work you are involved in outside of music?

VB: I do a lot around or concerning music besides recording and performing and that takes up a lot of my time. I have also been a pastor for 6 years now. I help out a few businesses/organisations/entities with PR and Branding. Other things are scheduled for the right season, when it's time to venture into them, I will.

ND: Music is a multi billion dollar industry globally , what are different types of careers one can choose?

VB: I could list a whole lot of things and leave more out, so I got a few links to read and help with research for those interested. That also is one I encourage, RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH! 😊

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/9997-best-jobs-music-lovers.html

https://www.careersinmusic.com/music-careers-list/

I hope this helps somebody. There's more there than I could list.

ND: So basically there are many, Which brings me to the question...if someone wants to be a musician what do they need to do, do they need to go to school?

VB: If they can or want to yes, I didn't study music, I can, I probably will. The beautiful thing about creativity is it's not limited by institutions. For some of us that's our story. Do study music though, or get mentored or groomed, besides being fun, it opens your mind and you'll be better equipped to take it up as a career. The other careers surrounding music, some of them definitely need school. I not only create music but I manage myself, I do my own PR etc, all those are skills are acquired

ND: Many artists struggled to survive during COVID-19 but then came platforms like TikTok. In your experience how has the internet impacted the music business.

VB: Tik Tok was already there. But recently What it and other social platforms did was break down walls, at least some, between artists and consumers. In Zimbabwe we saw a rise in interest in local music in 2020/2021. So a lot of people in the diaspora streamed Zimbabwean music probably more than in the past years.

The internet has made the artist, music more accessible. There are so many new ways of gaining an audience now, of making money. There was a rise in online shows, thus a rise in ways for people to pay to watch one live online. This however had a negative impact too because not a lot of people are then willing to pay for what's so easily accessible and available.