adminA TALENTED up-and-coming musician, Maurice Peterson will be launching his Extended Play (EP) project this February as a dedication to his sister who died in 2022 after a short illness.
The project titled Two wrongs is going to be launched on local community radio stations- from the cooler at Khami Maximum Prison.
Peterson pours out his soul in a poignant four-track tribute to his sister Luxmen.
The stirring offering will give listeners in Bulawayo and beyond an opportunity to appreciate his musical prowess- despite the fact that he is in prison serving a 35-year jail term for murder.
It also showcases his metamorphosis from a gospel musician into a multi-genre act.
A B-Metro new crew last week caught up with Peterson’s manager, Clarence Garura who said the inmate was excited that the world will get to know him more through his second project as he angles to grab the spotlight in the arts industry.
“A lot of people out there really don’t believe that Peterson is an inmate housed at Khami Maximum Prison, where he is composing and recording music for his fans to have a full appreciation of what he is experiencing behind bars.
“I remember when we recorded our first project titled God saved the musician took that project as an opportunity to thank the almighty for saving him from being sentenced to death after he had accidentally killed his son while he was assaulting his wife.
“Peterson actually celebrated when he was sentenced to 35 years in prison as most of the people that he had met while on remand had predicted that he would be hanged over the matter,” he said.
Garura said the inmate’s first project did not do well on the market as the album was not aggressively marketed countrywide due to various challenges that were linked to the fact that Peterson was a serving inmate with a lengthy sentence.
“When we recorded the God saved project we had no idea of the challenges that we were going to encounter, but with time we discovered that there were a lot of factors that made it difficult for us to market the project.
“So those experiences prepared us and opened our minds on what to expect when working with an inmate. We have decided to take the second project to all local stations launching the EP to build his fan base locally before we think about moving to other cities,” he said.
The manager said the forthcoming project is totally different from his first offing as it’s all about love which coincides with the valentine celebration.
The Extended play has got songs that include Kanandinewe, Dance floor, Tsvarakadenga and Two wrongs, which is the title track.
“A lot of people out there know Peterson as a gospel musician but this time we decided to bring him back on another level as all four songs are meant for lovers celebrating Valentine’s day.
“This project is also meant to show how versatile the inmate is when it comes to composing and singing any genre and also appealing to well-established musicians who might be looking for people to collaborate with.
“We hope this project is going to open more opportunities in terms of collaborations as we believe we just need one or two collaborations with well-established musicians that include Jah prayzah ,Feli Nandi,Andie Muridzo to build our fan base at national level.
“Such collaborations would help the inmate to rise in the music industry and as we speak we have been trying to reach out to a number of musicians locally, but it’s unfortunate because instead of chipping in to assist, they are actually demanding money from the inmate, which does not make sense at all,” he said.
Garura said Peterson composed the four songs on his Extended Play as a dedication to his loving sister, who always supported him and even went the extra mile to take care of his children since they were no longer under the guardianship of their mother, and he was in prison.
“When we received the sad news of the passing on of Luxmen Peterson it was not easy for us to pass on the news to the inmate as she had turned out to be more than a sister to him.
“Luxmen was always there for her brother from the time he was arrested up to the time of her death and when we informed him of his sister’s passing on it really affected him for a couple of months and as a way of healing himself, he decided to compose the four songs as a dedication to her.
“So this month we would be launching the EP at the same time celebrating the life of his sister through music and dance and it’s an opportunity not to be missed by music lovers.
The manager said at the launch, listeners are going to have an opportunity to interact with the inmate through a phone-in session to get more information about him.
“It’s going to be an exciting programme on all stations as followers are going to be given an opportunity to call in and talk to the inmate asking various questions pertaining to his musical career and other issues.
“So it’s not a programme to be missed by all music lovers as we explore behind the walls of Khami Maximum Prison, which has got the most talented inmates in different areas of art,” he ended.
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