He鈥檚 already a rising star in Yellowknife鈥檚 music community, and now he鈥檚 about to make a splash at the city鈥檚 premiere music festival.

Munya Mataruse will be performing on the main stage at Folk on the Rocks (FOTR) on the last day of festivities: Sunday, July 17.

It鈥檚 a big leap from the more intimate shows he鈥檚 been playing since arriving in Canada.

鈥淚 would say this is one of the biggest events I鈥檓 going to play,鈥� he says.

Originally from Zimbabwe, Mataruse moved to Yellowknife in 2020 to find work amid the economic downturn of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although the music scene was dormant at the time, once he was able to perform again, his popularity in the community quickly took off.

鈥淚 was really, really surprised, to see how people were responding to my music,鈥� he says.

Musically, Mataruse creates a fusion of traditional and contemporary, African and Western. Rooted in Shangara and other styles from his native Zimbabwe, his music incorporates elements of jazz and other Western influences into a unique style. His music features the mbira, a traditional handheld Zimbabwean instrument featuring metal tines that are plucked with the fingers. Because this instrument is limited to only a couple of keys, Mataruse also uses the guitar to expand his horizons.

鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to focus and target a bigger audience,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want it to be 100 per cent African; I don鈥檛 want it to be 100 per cent Western. I want it to be in between so that I can cater to a big market.鈥�

Mataruse got his shot at the main stage when he performed at the Folk on the Rocks Main Stage Showdown in June. Despite the fierce competition, the panel of judges was swayed by his performance and his interaction with the crowd.

鈥淭he competition was really tough. There were some good musicians,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd I was like, 鈥極h, we鈥檒l just see what鈥檚 gonna happen.鈥� But I wasn鈥檛 expecting to win. And I won.鈥�

For his main stage performance, Mataruse says he鈥檒l be making use of his trademark audience interaction.

鈥淚鈥檓 not the kind of musician who goes on stage and when they do their performance, they don鈥檛 even communicate with the crowd,鈥� he says. 鈥淢y kind of style is I engage the crowd. And I know several people that have been buying tickets, because they really want my style, so they鈥檙e expecting it. So I鈥檓 going to continue doing the same style. I think this is kind of my niche.

鈥淭his is actually a perfect opportunity for me to market myself out there, so I鈥檓 really happy.鈥�

Tickets and a complete setlist are available on the FOTR website at www.folkontherocks.com.