Last night I was part of the special experience of listening exclusively to Ishan's latest body of work, Bhundu Pop. Well anyone could join in to the live radio stream but it just felt special, like an invite only event. Bhundu Pop made its debut exclusively on Madhorofiya FM, a product of Madhorofiya Republik, as you can see it's very cactus involved (Pun intended). As usual the live radio stream was hosted by King Kandoro whose blend of humour and infectious energy coupled with ridiculously good track selection make Madhorofiya FM an experience everytime you listen to it.
Bhundu Pop is described as the sounds of the jungle and it delivers just that, an authentic pop sound that is distinctly Zimbabwean. The sounds of the Zimbabwean jungle are alive and in safe hands with Ishan on this project. It was preceded by two singles Maidei (Peanut Butter) and December which features GZE. Both tracks filled fans with anticipation for the upcoming project and Bhundu Pop firmly establishes Ishan as a force to be reckoned with on the Zimbabwean music scene.
During the album stream King Kandoro gave us an informal interview with the man. Ishan revealed that his stage name originated in high school. A friend/acquaintance of his thought he had huge eyes and so he started calling him "eye shine" (Or eye shan the internet was hating on the listening experience) and later on while in his life Ishan was helped out by John Cole to come up with Ishan.
According to him John Cole told him your name should sound sexy like an iPhone and from that conversation Ishan was born. Ishan also talked about how his high school results weren't good and from ther he had a conversation with his parents about what he wanted to do with his life and he told them music. It's a beautiful story when the parents support you in your art.
The show delivered everything and Bhundu Pop is full of vibes from the start to finish. Madhorofiya FM has been averaging around 5 000 listeners and it keeps growing. It's turning into an amazing platform for artists and new talent. We hope Madhorofiya Republik keeps up the good work of this project.
Ishan who's real name is Isheanesu Chigagura has been doing music since he was young. He started singing in the school choir in primary school and from then on he discovered there was something in him that came out in music. In 2016 he recorded his first ever project which was a five-song Extended Play, but it attained very small reach. In 2018, he released Dololo, which created some waves but his final break didn't come until his hit single Kure which features Ti Gonzi.
Bhundu Pop was officially released at midnight on all streaming platforms.
