MATHIAS JULIUS

 Mathias “Matty” Julius is a multi-talented singer, dancer, choreographer, and composer, who has recently made a name for himself on the Zimbabwean reggae music scenes. True African Woman caught up with him not too long ago and this is what he had to say about himself:

TAW: So where have you performed internationally?

“Zambia Bob Marley commemoration in 2010; Denmark 2009-10-13 and in the UK - London 2012-13.”

TAW: Wow! And how was the response?

“Great response coz I played with young musicians from Mokoomba - all young and talented. Soon it made the band look good because in Zambia young artists use cds for performances and the crowd appreciated good music from a young group of talent.”

TAW: We noticed you have good choreography; you were part of Tumbuka yes?

“Yes I was with Tumbuka for 12years. I danced and choreographed for the company too.”

TAW: Alright. And why reggae?

“When I was younger I used to do ragga messing around with my best mates and I used to dj in Harare -  Mabvuku hall and our main outing was Kadoma - mid nineties under the name GUNFINGER with B.TAVAZIVA and SAMSON FELO. Eventually I grew out of ragga and started enjoying more of the mellow reggae vibes and it’s also a genre that’s different, especially in Zim.”

TAW: Definitely. So which artistes inspire you?

“I especially respect Mannex. He is a great vocalist and he has it all. I have collaborated with Mannex on the PAHUSHAMWARI HWEDU song which also includes JFARAI, CHAZA, KALABASH, MARY MO, LADY SQUANDA, and CELLO CULTURE. The artists that inspire me are Sanchez - the late Culture T. Tarus Riley.”

TAW: So what are you doing to market the brand?

“That’s the downside of things. I didn’t have someone who could do the marketing for me. Most times people only want to come on board when the boat is rolling already - they don’t want to fuel the boat, if you know what I mean.”

TAW: For sure. So what can u promise us this year?

“I already put out wekutafara in May when I was in Zim and I’m promising more live shows and I will be back in Zim for another live show with X-VYBZ - my band.”

TAW: Good stuff Matty. And as we celebrate our 2nd year online on Oct 1 we want 2 celebrate true African art like yours with the rest of the world...any last words to your fans who want more of your music?

“To those who want more of my music I’ll be dropping a new album next may and it gets better with age and time, lol. Bless Zimbos and be true to yourselves.”

TAW: thank you and do keep flying our flag high TRULY AFRICAN!! By the way, is Matty married?

“Always will and bless! No. Matty isn’t married”

TAW: Wonderful! I bet a lot of ladies have on super huge grins right about now J.

Check out Matty’s pics on our facebook page – www.facebook.com/trueafricanwomanmagazine