Petersen Zagaze

Music career

Petersen's music career starts off in 2002 as a songwriter. He recorded his first album in 2004 and now on record has five albums plus a number of hit singles.

Early Music Career 2002-2004

In 2002 Petersen entered Zambian music as a song writer and backing vocalist for various artists in Zambia his first taste was after writing ‘goodnight’ for a group called Ba Crazy and he was then featured on two of the tracks in the group's album which titled Goodnight.

In 2003 Petersen worked with Mondo Music Corp.’s Bob Mabege on his album Mr True and he also featured in Bob Mabege's hit single Poor Finishing

In 2004 he worked with 2 proud and wrote the song Nzabagwile. Petersen has written, composed and featured on Vobweleka bweleka and Ngayaposa Kukosa for Mwembe Muntu’s album,

2005-present

In 2005 Petersen ventured for a solo career starting with his debut hit single ‘Munyaule’ which featured General Ozzy and later that year named his first album Munyaule.

In 2007 Petersen released a new album with producer Ben Blazer title Bobojani

In 2012 Petersen was working on his new album which was the much anticipated album titled Job 13 - 13 but was delayed to be released , but the further delays saw him releasing a 22-track compilation titled Stoga Compilation: Tiger Revolution, before the album drops.

In 2015 Petersen produced his fourth album King Solomon and also features Afunika, Flexville Marley and Nameless from Kenya.

Music & Society

Petersen's reaction of politicians was not entirely unexpected. Pressure also came from some church leaders that took great exception to Munyaule, a song that out-rightly euphemised sex like no other musician has ever done in Zambia.

Petersen used the visibility Munyaule had brought him to highlight several injustices he saw in Zambian politics and the society it breeds.

Petersen did not spare the church with a background in the church, Zagaze recounts in his song Amakwebo Mu Church, the travesty that seem to have engulfed the Zambian church. In his song Amakwebo Mu Church Petersen visits a church after a long time only to find that the church has now become a market place, selling everything from houses, to cars, and music albums. He then requests, that “Messiah bwelelanso ukwapule nafuti … ama kwebo mu church yafula" which means Messiah come back on earth and come Whip again.... Cause money has increased in the church. The message in Amakwebo Mu Church is quite appropriate for the Zambian church, particularly the pentecostal church that seem to be experiencing a serious identity crisis.

Music & Politics

Petersen's prolific criticism to the politicians that had moved to ban his 2005 Munyaule. In the Job 13:13 song Zagaze stated that the parliamentarians had better things to do in parliament than debate his songs. Calling politicians as “ba mwankole wearing black suits”, he called out their hypocrisy about targeting his Munyaule songs when they themselves had absolutely no morals. The same politicians who were pontificating about morals were “corrupt thieves, selfish and wife batterers.”

In 2013, he featured in PilAto's single entitled BUFI a highly politically charged song that labeled the late President Michael Sata a ‘Father of Lies’. The song got a negative feed back from the supporters of the ruling party.

Albums

Selected Songs

Awards

Nominations

Personal life

Petersen is married to Rosemary Msisha(5am Media)