In 1991, songstress Rozalla Miller, moved to the U.K. in search of international stardom after local success in Zimbabwe working with artists such as the Rusike brothers. She had huge dreams of singing and performing hits as an international star. And so, armed with beauty, youth and an angelic voice, the petite looking "soon to be a mega superstar" ventured into this unknown world in search of her dream and the opportunities that she believed existed in Europe. It turned out to be the best decision she ever made in her career because no sooner than she had set foot in the country of her colonial masters, Rozalla teamed up with A Band of Gypsies to make the rave anthem hit song "Everybody's free (To feel good)" which celebrates 30 years this September since the hit song shook the world.
Rozalla's life is the stuff of fairy tales, as a young girl she was passionate about music. She went to the lengths of asking her brothers at one time, as a child in Zambia, to call the US so that she could speak to Michael Jackson. It didn't happen, sadly, save for a high telephone bill month end and an angry dad and she kept pushing.
It was not long until she was the one receiving a call from the Wacko Jacko, during the peak of her career success, chosen to be his support act during his Dangerous world tour where she would go on to do a 45 minute set, for three months and 43 tour dates on the road.
This is to date her biggest career achievement, saying, "I don't think there has been an artist as great as Michael Jackson in the past decades to date and that for me was the highlight of my entire career"
Her support to Michael Jackson cascaded to Billy Ocean and she was now certified, a top class act. Rozalla still travels and performs around the world. The demand of her song, Everybody's free (to feel good) is still high enough and it is this song that became her passport to the world.
She says that, without the song, "her career would not have been the same". She continues working on new music and during the pandemic released three singles which will be featured in her new album to be released in 2021. It does not have a title yet and with a career spanning over 40 years, the Zambian born has not stopped dreaming about performing and spreading the message of love and good times.
But what is her recipe for success? How did she manage to stay so grounded and focused in a world that has swallowed most of the great and celebrated individuals of our times? What's her secret?
"Follow your heart and your dream" she says.
"Even though this is such a clitché, it still remains true if you know in your heart that you can become the next best thing out there" Rozalla adds.
Nothing has been able to stop her drive ever since the Rusike Brother's wrote for her the very first song she ever recorded in her career called, Party Night and Forever. She seeks to record it again to celebrate the song that kick started her career. It is sad though, that the original recordings of the song seem to have been lost and she has been searching for it for some time now to no luck.
On YouTube, some people believe that Everybody's free will be the main song to dance to after the pandemic is finally over.
As Rozalla Miller celebrates 30 years with the hit song, I am reminded of the need to be resilient. Knowing what you want to with your career and sticking with it.
Rozalla resembles our African pride and icon and sadly, the times when the world was "free" so it seems. She is a reminder of how much talent there is in Zimbabwe which is hardly celebrated. I do not know as to how this happens but I feel we don't create the very same hype other countries do about their local acts. If we can grasp this then we can even be seen at par with nations that have been labelled "artistic" more than we have within the continent.
Such acts and pivotal artistic occasions such as when The Bhundu boys opened up for Madonna in the 80's and Rozalla supporting Michael Jackson in the 90s and the crop of the early 2000's that ran with the batton such as Tuku and Mapfumo.
Now we see an even brighter and well decorated array of acts such as ShaSha, Charmaine, Berita Afrosoul, Tongai Chirisa, Danai Gurira and Shingai, just to name a few. All of which pay homage to the acts that went before them.
These are all the fruits of that life changing moment when Rozalla stepped into the booth to record Everybody's free (to feel good) in 1990 before it was released in 91.
The music fraternity today must indeed pay homage to Rozalla and other big names and acts of past for they paved the way for the respect that we have today.
It is also time that we all stopped to listen and support this industry that continues to stir beautiful conversations about Zimbabwe, far from the madness of politics and the economy that has drowned the arts voice and image that we had assumed in the early years of our democracy.
Long live the hit song, "Everybody's free (to feel good).