Ishmael out of tune with UK fans

Ishmael out of tune with UK fans

ISHMAEL

• Mataz jets in for Tuku, Ishmael UK tour

• Tuku takes his subtle, discreet protest music to UK audiences

• Zimbabwe keeps protest music muffled

• Tuku brings Somerville crowd to its feet

By Showbiz Reporter

FADING South African R&B star Ishmael suffered a major setback on his UK tour at the weekend when he was pelted with beer cans in Milton Keynes over a shoddy stage performance and for playing his less popular tunes.

The R&B star whose career nose-dived since he left underground kwaito label Ghetto Ruff to join Arthur Mafokate's Triple 9 Studios was touring with Zimbabwe's Oliver Mtukudzi supported by DJs Tich Mataz and Gibson Ncube. Ncube ended up backing Ishmael whose backing vocals remained in South Africa.

A fan who attended the show said: "I felt sorry for Ishmael. People just started throwing cans and ordering him to get off stage. His whole stage performance looked amateurish and unrehearsed."

Ishmael, whose music varies from kwaito, R&B and gospel, told New Zimbabwe.com after the show that the can-throwers wanted him to play his more popular gospel and kwaito tunes, not R&B, and the complaints died down once he switched.

He fought off allegations that he was also lip syncing in an interview with New Zimbabwe.com.

"I am not a fraud, I would never do that," said the soft spoken singer who hit the big time with hits like 'Avulekile Amasango’ and ‘Roba Letseka'. "I can't come all the way from South Africa to lip sync."

Quizzed on why he left his backing vocals only to enlist the help of DJ Gibson Ncube and two dancers on arrival in the UK, Ishmael responded rather coyly: "I usually go on stage with one person (Speedy) but something happened as we were about to leave and he couldn't make it."

Ncube hit out at the can-throwers, whom he said were just a handful in an estimated 1500 audience.

"I think we had a small group of idiots who were just up to mischief," Ncube said. "It also seems there were people in the who are only used to live bands, and they don't understand that a singer can have a backtrack playing and then sing over it. What they don't know or choose to forget is that it's happening the world over....whether it's Ja Rule, 50 Cent, Eminem, everyone is doing it. It's either people are going to learn, or they are failing to learn."

Meanwhile Ishmael revealed that he was now working on his new album which should be out in mid-September. He has parted ways with Triple 9 Studios after his three-album-deal expired. His new production company is Peisho Productions.

"I expect it to be a 15-track album. It's going to be a mixture of kwaito, gospel and R&B," Ishmael said, declining to tell us the title of the album.
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