Online Reporter
HIP-HOP artist Shone is living his dream.
By the end of the month, he is set to become the first Zimbabwean musician to play before a combined audience of more than half-a-million people.
The audience will be spread over five shows and Shone is part of the supporting act of British rock band Coldplay during their Music of the Spheres World Tour in India.
The mega shows are set to attract a combined audience of about 580 000.
The shows got underway on Saturday night at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Mumbai where 80 000 fans were in attendance.
Another show was held last night at the same stadium.
Then, the party will move to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which has an official capacity of 132 000, and is the largest cricket stadium in the world, on January Saturday and Sunday.
At least 140 000 fans are expected to attend each of the shows in Ahmedabad.
It’s a massive leap for Shone and means he will surpass the Bhundu Boys who, in 1987, played before 80 000 fans at Wembley, as part of the supporting act of American superstar Madonna.
Coldplay are considered the best musical group in the world today and tickets for their shows in Mumbai sold out in just 30 minutes last year.
Shone was part of the Coldplay supporting act when the British group played in Abu Dhabi and on their tours of Australia and New Zealand.
Shone’s manager, Magic Wacho, told H-Metro the musician, together with his DJ Tatenda LXA, are having the time of their lives playing before audiences ranging from 40 000 to 80 000 in the tour so far. He said it was an honour to be included among the ranks of the world’s premier rock band.
The experience of performing before audiences ranging from 40 000 to 80 000, said Magic Wacho, was truly exhilarating.
He thanked Chris Martin, the Coldplay frontman, and the Coldplay team for providing tem with one of the most significant opportunities of their career.
Shone recently released an EP titled Love & Trap, which consists of six tracks, which were produced by TatendaLXA, Onlymunashe and Mulanation.
It’s a massive breakthrough for Shone, the kind of opportunity which musicians pray for all their lives.
We are happy that one of our own has been presented with such a life-changing opportunity and Shone is making the best of the chance which he has been given.
His performance in Mumbai on Saturday has been hailed as a fine one and he should work even harder to ensure that he improves on that.
Shone is not the biggest artist in this country but God has provided him with an opportunity which has the potential of changing his life forever.
His partnership with Coldplay will open more doors for him and the sky can only be the limit for him. He should not look into the past but just concentrate on the future.
This is a huge breakthrough for Shone.
