Since the days of being an EmPawa Africa top finalist, Cleo Vimbai Arigondia better known as Cleo Arie has been figuring out how to make her presence in the somewhat saturated Zimbabwean Afro-pop scene more meaningful, and in the process, truly stand out.
Here’s what can be said of Cleo without any doubts: she is a formidable vocalist and guitarist; and based on her decision to build on Jah Bless’ momentum with a well-timed commercially appealing high-profile collaboration, she is also a strategist.
The song ‘Pillar’ embraces content that is as weightless as it is plush, laid carefully over a production that is as bouncy as it is sturdy and compact courtesy of Victor Enlisted, DJ Tamuka, and Rayo Beats. Obviously, the song oversimplifies the concept of love, but that’s what it means to sell a fantasy that people cannot stop buying. In her verse, Cleo Arie refuses to be overshadowed in her own song, as she comes through with a very strong showing while managing to pair seamlessly with the superstar that is Nutty-O.
Pillar is a valuable augmentation of her discography, which is still under heavy construction, deconstruction, and more construction. It is the kind of song that will preserve her stardom during spells of writer’s block. A pillar of sorts to her career.
Passionate about innumerable things in life with photography, animals and music being just some of them. I have a knack for socialising and convincing people to try new music as I enjoy (almost) every genre. “Music is the epitome of all arts, and so we listen!”