After releasing ‘Jigalezza’ last year July, Kimon Omzimande Solomon, also known as Kimzala, has finally received his TikTok fame. The song’s music video currently has 460 000 views on YouTube and over 150 000 TikTok videos have been created with it thus far. The kwaito/amapiano artist has been hard at work for the past three years, carving out his name in the music circles, and feels the timing for the TikTok exposure is just right, with users all over the world now doing the dance challenge to his song.
The ‘Skatebol’ hitmaker admitted that he is not much of a social media type of person and did not know the waves the song is making.
“Two weeks ago, I got a DM that I should check that there were 80 000 videos loaded of the song, which I could not believe. It’s like one day you just wake up and then boom, a miracle has happened. I have been praying for this for a long time; it’s only God that has come through,” he told VIBEZ!
Users from Nigeria, Jamaica China and mostly South Africa have all jumped on the bandwagon, with our very own OC Ebs also strutting her stuff on ‘Jigalezza’.
Omzimande, however, bemoaned the fact that when he released the song, nobody seemed to like it but now that the song is trending and going viral, people are calling and congratulating him.
“In the beginning, they did not believe in me. I feel like I will try to make music for the people outside because that’s where I have gained recognition. I told them in the beginning, ‘Namibia to the world’; they didn’t believe me,” he said.
He feels that local people only start paying attention to an artist’s music once it picks up momentum outside the country.
“There are a lot of upcoming artists that have talent but are underestimated, but the hits they drop are fire. That’s why I prefer to work with underdogs.” Kimzala, in the meantime, also released an EP called ‘Tae Huka’ with which he wants to promote the “local feeling”.
“We are just trying a new vibe; taking things back to a local vibe of the Gazza’s and Jericho-them.
All of us are just following the trend of amapiano. You will experience the new age kwaito which still has the amapiano kick in it,” he stated.
The EP, which is available on all social platforms, consists of five tracks, featuring LSD – a group from Khomasdal, Windhoek.
They plan on doing their shows countrywide in the coming months to push the single and promote it further on radio. – slunyangwe@nepc.com.na