Kadoma Music Festival 2025 Highlights

 

Kadoma Music Festival 2025: A Night to Remember

The Kadoma Music Festival 2025 took place on October 11 at The Odyssey in Kadoma, Zimbabwe. The day-long concert featured a mix of top Zimbabwean and Jamaican artists, including gospel star Julian King, dancehall icons Winky D and Busy Signal, reggae singers Chris Martin and Freeman HKD, as well as rising talents like Feli Nandi. According to the organisers, the annual festival “has become a national event… attracting hordes of fans from across the country”. Indeed, the crowd was estimated in the thousands, all singing along and dancing throughout the night. Our team was on the ground to promote the show, meet the artists backstage, and film the thrilling stage performances.

Julian King’s Homecoming

 

Veteran Zimbabwean singer Julian King (born Julian Lennon Kanombirira) made a much-anticipated return home at Kadoma 2025. Julian had been based abroad for nearly six years, and landed in Harare just ahead of the festival. As one report notes, the artist “has returned home after six years abroad ahead of his much-anticipated performance at the Kadoma Festival”. Speaking at the press conference, Julian said, “It’s exciting to be back home after such a long time away. This is my first visit in six years, and I am looking forward to the Kadoma Festival”. His homecoming set the tone for the evening, and he performed several of his hits to a roaring welcome.

International Reggae Stars Thrill the Crowd

Headline performers included Jamaican reggae/dancehall stars Chris Martin and Busy Signal. Both were on tour in Zimbabwe and expressed excitement about the show. Chris Martin (not to be confused with the Coldplay singer) is a reggae/dancehall singer from St. Catherine, Jamaica, known for songs like “Cheaters Prayer”, “I’m a Big Deal”, and “Dreams of Brighter Days”. Busy Signal (Reanno Devon Gordon) is a Jamaican dancehall/reggae artist famous for high-energy tracks like “Tic Toc” and “Unknown Number”. At a Harare press conference ahead of the festival, both men praised Zimbabwe’s music scene. Martin remarked, “I feel the love being in Zimbabwe. It’s going to be a big deal on stage in Kadoma”, while Busy Signal said he “loves being here with the people of Zimbabwe” and called the show “a big deal”. (The Herald even noted that these Jamaican reggae artistes “firmly believe that Zimbabwean musicians can achieve global success”.) These comments foreshadowed the energy they brought to the stage.

• Busy Signal: The Jamaican dancehall star lived up to his reputation, performing his biggest hits and high-octane dance routines. Tracks like “Tic Toc” and “Unknown Number” had already made him famous in the Caribbean and beyond. At Kadoma, he also teamed up with local star Winky D on the new anthem “Drink Up (Problems Away)” – a song they had recorded together just for the festival season. The crowd went wild as they performed this hard-hitting collab live.

  
  
   

• Winky D (The Big Man): Zimbabwe’s dancehall legend joined Busy Signal on the “Drink Up” performance. Winky D is known as the “Zimbabwean giant” of dancehall, and he brought his trademark swagger and social-commentary lyrics to the stage. Fans sang every word of his hits, and his collaboration with Busy Signal was a standout moment.

  
   
  
  

• Chris Martin: The Jamaican singer gave a polished, charismatic set. He performed crowd-pleasers (including “Cheaters Prayer” and “I’m a Big Deal”) and even joined forces on stage with Zimbabwean rapper Freeman HKD. Together they performed their hit “Zimbabwean Queen”, much to the delight of fans. Martin’s warmth to the audience matched what he said in press: “I love it [here], and I would love to visit Victoria Falls after the show”.

• Freeman HKD: One of Zimbabwe’s top hip-hop artists, Freeman was clearly one of the evening’s biggest beneficiaries. As he told reporters, it was a “dream come true” to share the stage with Martin and Busy Signal. He kept the energy high by delivering his own hits and then hyping up the crowd during the joint performances. The audience responded by singing along and waving their phones in the air.

• Feli Nandi: Among the local lineup, soul/pop singer Feli Nandi delivered a passionate set. Though not an international star, she is a rising Zimbabwean talent (winner of a national singing contest) and engaged the crowd with her award-winning songs. Her presence underscored the festival’s mix of local and global acts.

• Other acts: The festival also featured seasoned artists like Freeman’s labelmates (e.g. Kurai Makore, Quonfuzed) and others from Zimbabwe’s music scene. (Festival founder Tichaona Mharadze noted that even veteran mbira star Alick Macheso was on the bill, adding variety as a “father figure”.)

Behind the Scenes: Our Coverage

As media covering the event, we had front-row access to all the action. Our cameras rolled as each artist took the stage. We captured the full sets of the headliners (from Busy Signal’s pulse-pounding dancehall to Chris Martin’s smooth reggae), as well as the collaborative highlights. Notably, we filmed the Winky D & Busy Signal duet of “Drink Up”, preserving the moment when Jamaican and Zimbabwean dancehall seamlessly met on stage. We also recorded scenes of Julian King’s triumphant homecoming performance and interviewed several performers backstage. For example, we caught Freeman HKD excitedly explaining how much it meant to “rub shoulders” with his idols.

Through our coverage, viewers will see not just the music but the festival atmosphere: thousands of fans waving, dancing, and shouting lyrics back to the artists. Local media reports had noted that Kadoma 2025 drew large crowds – the town’s biggest-ever music event – and our footage reflects that sold-out vibe. The enthusiasm was palpable as Busy Signal, Winky D, Chris Martin, and Freeman HKD in particular delivered show-stopping sets that had the crowd singing along all night.

In sum, the Kadoma Music Festival 2025 was a milestone for Zimbabwe’s live-music scene, bringing together international reggae stars and homegrown talent in one electrifying show. We were proud to promote and document the event, which underscored Zimbabwean music’s growing global appeal. The combination of high-profile acts and ecstatic fans made it a night to remember. For those who couldn’t attend, our upcoming broadcast will bring the full experience to TV and online audiences.

 

Key Highlights:

• Line-up included Julian King (gospel), Chris Martin and Busy Signal (Jamaican reggae), Winky D and Freeman HKD (Zimbabwean dancehall) and more.

• Julian King’s first home show in 6 years.

• Jamaican stars praised Zimbabwean fans (Martin: “I feel the love…big deal”; Busy: “I love being here with the people”).

• Standout on-stage collab: Winky D & Busy Signal performing “Drink Up (Problems Away)”.

• Our media team filmed every major performance and captured backstage interviews, bringing the festival’s energy to viewers.

Sources: We drew on press coverage and artist bios to prepare this report. For instance, The Herald and NewsDay described the artists’ remarks and tracks, and Wikipedia entries detail Chris Martin and Busy Signal’s music careers. All quotes and facts above are supported by these sources.