From the boxing ring to the comedy stage, the right walk-on song can be as important as the performance itself.
Muhammad Ali once walked out to the Star Wars theme song. Mike Tyson once terrified opponents walking out to nothing but silence.
Wrestlers strut in with music so iconic it’s practically their brand. And UFC fighters know their entrance track can turn an arena into a war zone before a single punch is thrown.
Now, comedians are claiming that same energy. At least, that’s how King Kandoro sees it.
“Things that we do require you to be confident before the show,” Kandoro told Zimbuzz. “Whether it’s physically fighting, in the case of UFC and boxers, or, in our case, being confident that what you’ve written will make people laugh.”
For Kandoro, a Zimbabwean comic with a knack for blending social satire and streetwise charm, the ring walk is no gimmick. It’s ritual.
“You’re trying to get yourself in the spirit,” he explained. “You are trying to hype yourself and reach a level where people hopefully meet you.”
And it’s not just for him. The music, he insists, has to lift the crowd, too. “The song has to raise the energy levels of both the audience and yourself so that, before you say anything, you are actually meeting on a parity level.”
That’s why his choices go deeper than hype. In past years, he’s walked on to Tanto Wavie’s “007” and Master H’s “Pressure.”
Both bangers, yes, but also reflections of his own headspace at the time. “The theme songs I’ve always tried to use… are songs that are thematic to what is happening in my life at that particular time,” he said.
This year, the stakes feel higher. Shoko Comedy Night, celebrating its 15th edition at Harare Gardens on Thursday, September 25, is the biggest comedy stage in Zimbabwe.
Kandoro headlines, sharing the bill with Kenya’s sharp-tongued satirist Justine Wanda, creator of “Fake Woke With Justine” alongside Munyaradzi Mike Chipere, Munya, and Mbongeni Ignatius Ndlovu.
It’s a stacked card, and Kandoro knows his entrance matters.
“I’m already feeling pressure about which song I’m going to use,” he admitted. “I’m pinning my hopes on Zimdancehall releases that may come out between now and September 25.”
It’s part of a larger truth: comedy, like combat sports, is a test of nerves. One fighter steps into the cage, another steps onstage, but both need that jolt of confidence before the first blow or in Kandoro’s case, the first punchline.
And if you want to know what soundtrack he finally chooses, there’s only one way. As Kandoro himself teased: “So if you want to know which song I’ll be using, come to the Shoko Comedy Night at the Harare Gardens.”
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