AS THEY rocked music fans in Mpumalanga last week, the legendary TKZee did not seem to impress as they did during their heydays.
The group was performing in collaboration with Khuli Chana at a festival in the province.
In the past two years, TKZee has made an impressive comeback to perform as a group. The three-man band consisting of Zwai Bala, Kabelo "Bouga Luv" Mabalane and Tokollo "Magesh" Tshabalala was the talk of the town during their formative years.
The trio has since gone solo.
But if their performance in Mbombela defines their new offering on stage, this may lead to critics asking if they have lost touch with their fans? Most importantly, are they relevant enough to capture and enthral a new and younger audience?
Zwai insists they are still in touch with their fans but agrees that their current fans are no longer the same hippy youth of the 1990s.
"Our music still has a following. The fans we had back then have grown up and we are making music with that in mind. We still get fans getting excited about our old songs when we perform live," he said.
Like Mafikizolo, Boom Shaka and Bongo Maffin, it seems that once band members decide to go solo, they either become "too busy" to come back together as a group and maintain the old magic that once mesmerised their multitude of fans.
In 2009 TKZee attempted to reclaim their fame with their album ComingHome, but it had none of the hype they had with their 1990s hits.
One kwaito musician who wants to remain anonymous said: "Music is about time.
"Once your fans shift their taste and you take too long to make new music, you are behind with your fans. To come back is worse than to start in the music industry ."
Is this the beginning of the end for TKZee?
AS THEY rocked music fans in Mpumalanga last week, the legendary TKZee did not seem to impress as they did during their heydays.
The group was performing in collaboration with Khuli Chana at a festival in the province.
In the past two years, TKZee has made an impressive comeback to perform as a group. The three-man band consisting of Zwai Bala, Kabelo "Bouga Luv" Mabalane and Tokollo "Magesh" Tshabalala was the talk of the town during their formative years.
The trio has since gone solo.
But if their performance in Mbombela defines their new offering on stage, this may lead to critics asking if they have lost touch with their fans? Most importantly, are they relevant enough to capture and enthral a new and younger audience?
Zwai insists they are still in touch with their fans but agrees that their current fans are no longer the same hippy youth of the 1990s.
"Our music still has a following. The fans we had back then have grown up and we are making music with that in mind. We still get fans getting excited about our old songs when we perform live," he said.
Like Mafikizolo, Boom Shaka and Bongo Maffin, it seems that once band members decide to go solo, they either become "too busy" to come back together as a group and maintain the old magic that once mesmerised their multitude of fans.
In 2009 TKZee attempted to reclaim their fame with their album ComingHome, but it had none of the hype they had with their 1990s hits.
One kwaito musician who wants to remain anonymous said: "Music is about time.
"Once your fans shift their taste and you take too long to make new music, you are behind with your fans. To come back is worse than to start in the music industry ."
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