The Man of the Hour: Tzy Panchak
Poise examines the rapid rise of Cameroon-based artist Tzy Panchak and his label Blu Nation, crediting their efficient marketing machinery while offering a critical assessment of his debut EP 'I'm Not Lucky.' The piece acknowledges Panchak's momentum and fanbase while questioning whether production quality and artistic growth have kept pace with his commercial acceleration.
Blu Nation seems to be joining the ranks as one of the well oiled record label machines in Cameroon at the moment. The label and it’s singular act, Panchak, are on a trajectory that no other 237 artist has been able to travel in recent times - there is this perceived efficiency being shown by the label that seems to be the winning formula.
Panchak, in the span of just a few months, has moved from a somewhat obscure B-list artist to a cultural phenomenon. His uneventful career took a turn when he embarked on a label sponsored US tour. Since then his name has been a staple in social media convo, emerging as the victim and winner of every controversial ‘situation’ he finds himself in.
He is being marketed as an offspring of both Nigerian musical legend/industry pioneer 2 Face and the legendary father of reggae music, Bob Marley. One can clearly see glimpses of 2 Face in his style and his voice has got some soul in it but his eccentric fashion sense and affinity for diamonds I think remove him from the essence that feeds the art of 2 Face and Bob Marley. Panchak still seems to be torn between the sound of music and the glamour of ‘packaging’ that seems to be a marketing requirement in an increasingly materialistic music business environment.
The fact is, right now, Tzy is hot and the label is doing everything to capitalize on his current momentum. I applaud the business arm of the record label for their understanding of the idiom “strike the iron when it is hot.” Many artists have left that window to close on them only to find it very hard to open it up again.
Tzy Panchak has been very busy since coming back from the US, knocking out show after show, sealing a couple of collaborations, and organizing a tour for his EP, ‘I’m Not Lucky’
The 10 Track EP has been on sale since Dec 30th. Tzy has pioneered the hands free digital album distribution market in Cameroon. Through him we have been introduced to JOKWIT DISTRO, the best thing to have happened to the independent artist, even though I doubt they will put it to good use ( Story for another day.)
Any- Ha!
I’m giving the EP a 5/10 rating for the following reasons.
1. The whole thing sounds lazy. I believe the rush to capitalize on the attention that was being given him stripped this project of its quality. The mixes are on the poor end of the scale; the recordings sound completely muddy from start to end. If I said the mixes are terrible, I won’t be overstating anything.
2. There is little variety in his choice of sounds/instrumentals and there is nothing fresh in terms of his vocal technique where Locko shines ahead of his peers.
3. He does a decent job in terms of song writing but the energy on the songs is lacking. I can easily sneak him in there with Locko and Mr Leo in terms of song writing but the complacency in his delivery takes much away.The title track ‘I’m Not Lucky’ is my favorite and that is purely because he dropped it with a little more energy than the rest.
I expected for his first officially packaged product to be on the offensive given the run he just had but he came in playing defense; just trying to stick to his comfort zone.
That said, I had the chance to watch Tzy perform a few weeks back in Limbe and I can tell you the guy is getting much love out there. I think he has a solid enough core fanbase that he can build on - the best thing that can happen to any artist. His core fans will continue to accept and consume his work at any level of quality that he gives it in but I think it is time for him to give a new face to his game if he really wants to be counted amongst Cameroon’s top tier urban artists.
I’m yet to be impressed by the quality of any of his videos and the poor quality audio shipped with this EP doesn’t cut it for me. Even in the club where he performed in Limbe, the sound was subpar. The label needs to address this if they want his songs to sit well between the Salatiels and the Lockos. At this point, he doesn’t get the newbie pass anymore.
I don’t think it is a confidence issue but he also needs to assume his role with a little more audacity. I know the music might come easy to him but I don’t want to sense it when I am listening to him. I would love to see him stop negotiating with the microphone and command it.
That said, I am not in the mood to debate with anyone about anything I have written on here if they cannot show me proof of purchase of the EP. Visit Tzy Panchak's Facebook page @TzyPanchak for a link to the mobile money powered media distribution outlet embedded in the record label website.
In early 2018, Cameroon's urban music landscape was consolidating around a handful of rising acts. Panchak's sudden visibility following a US tour typified the emerging pattern of strategic label promotion and social-media-driven celebrity in the region—a moment when production infrastructure (including digital distribution platforms like Jokwit Distro) was beginning to democratize, yet quality control remained uneven across the industry.
The piece matters as a snapshot of how Cameroonian music criticism was grappling with the tension between effective marketing and artistic substance. It also documents an early moment in the adoption of digital distribution tools in the 237 music space. Today, it reads as a clear-eyed assessment of a specific kind of hype cycle—one that would become endemic to African music industries in the years following, making Poise's insistence on craft and vocal command prescient rather than pedantic.