Layan — Winky D’s unsung hero and brother
By Melody Gwenyambira
Dancehall chanter Winky D has come from humble beginnings on a turbulent journey but throughout his journey he has had one faithful lieutenant on his side, Layan, his 23-year-old brother.
Layan — real name Trevor Chirumiko — was with Winky D from the days the latter was a club DJ at Club Tropicana. Now “Di Bigman” is touring Europe and is a household name worldwide and Layan is still by his side.
In an exclusive interview with H-Metro on the sidelines of their Bulawayo show, Layan bared it all. “Climbing up the ladder was not easy. It was difficult and painful. It required us to put more hours into our work,” Layan said.
The dreadlocked chanter also doubles as Winky’s producer and dee jay.
“It was not all screams from fans when Winky was still a club DJ. We had to go through a process for him to be where he is now. It was not rosy either. After he stopped dee-jaying and went into music I took over as his producer and hey I am happy with the results,” Layan added.
Reminiscing what the duo went through in the days Winky D’s name did not even ring a bell in the ears of many except night crawlers one could feel the determination and passion to continue with the journey in the young man’s voice.
“When Winky released his first album Ndirirasta we were all excited. We knew that we were building up and we were going to reach exactly where we had always dreamt to be. Now everyone is shouting his name and he is popular but I still feel that we are not exactly there. We are only at the first level and yet we want to be on the highest level. We will get there. Whatever took us from the gutters will take us higher up,” he said.
The 23-year-old is also a television presenter on the musical show Jam-down flighted on ZTV channel 2.
“I am seeing a great and greener future. I am happy and grateful to the Most High,” said Layan before he joined his brother on stage at the Large City Hall over the weekend.
