Umuhanzikazi w’Ikirangirire Roberta Flack mu Mwaka wa 1970, ‘Killing Me Softly’ Yitabye Imana ku myaka 88
Ku itariki ya 24 Gashyantare 2025, isi yose yabuze umuhanzikazi w’ikirangirire, Roberta Flack, uzwi cyane ku ndirimbo ye “Killing Me Softly with His Song”. Yitabye Imana afite imyaka 88, asize umurage ukomeye mu muziki w’isi.
Roberta Flack yavukiye mu mujyi wa Black Mountain, muri leta ya Carolina y’Amajyaruguru, muri Leta Zunze Ubumwe za Amerika. Yarezwe mu muryango ukunda umuziki, aho yahereye ku ndirimbo zo mu rusengero ndetse n’abahanzi b’umuziki wa gospel nka Mahalia Jackson na Sam Cooke bamugizeho ingaruka zikomeye. Yatangiye kwiga umuziki akiri muto, aba umuhanga mu gucuranga piano ya kera, ndetse yiga muri kaminuza ya Howard ku mfashanyo yuzuye. Muri icyo gihe, yakoze akazi k’ubwarimu mu mashuri yisumbuye, anataramira mu tubyiniro two muri Washington D.C., aho yaje gutahurwa na Atlantic Records mu mwaka wa 1968.
Mu mwaka wa 1971, indirimbo ya Roberta Flack “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” yakoreshejwe mu gikorwa cya sinema cya Clint Eastwood cyitwa “Play Misty for Me”, bituma iyi ndirimbo igira izina rikomeye. Iyi ndirimbo yaje kugera ku mwanya wa mbere ku rutonde rwa Billboard Hot 100 mu mwaka wa 1972, inatuma Roberta Flack atsindira igihembo cya Grammy mu cyiciro cya “Record of the Year”. Mu mwaka wakurikiyeho, yongeye gutsindira iki gihembo ku nshuro ya kabiri yikurikiranya ku ndirimbo ye “Killing Me Softly with His Song”, bimuhesha kuba umuhanzi wa mbere watsindiye iki gihembo kabiri yikurikiranya.
Iyi ndirimbo, yasohotse mu mwaka wa 1973, yabaye ikimenyabose mu muziki wa soul na pop. Yanditswe na Charles Fox na Norman Gimbel, ishingiye ku buhamya bwa Lori Lieberman. Ubuhanga bwa Roberta Flack mu kuyiririmba byatumye iba indirimbo ikunzwe cyane, ndetse yongera kumenyekana mu mwaka wa 1996 ubwo itsinda rya The Fugees ryayisubiragamo.
Imikoranire na Donny Hathaway
Roberta Flack yakoranye cyane na Donny Hathaway, aho basohoye indirimbo nyinshi zakunzwe nka “Where Is the Love” mu mwaka wa 1972 na “The Closer I Get to You” mu mwaka wa 1978. Imikoranire yabo yagaragaje ubuhanga bwabo mu guhuza amajwi no gutanga ubutumwa bwimbitse mu ndirimbo zabo.
Mu mwaka wa 1974, Roberta Flack yasohoye alubumu yise “Feel Like Makin’ Love”, yaje kugera ku mwanya wa mbere ku rutonde rwa Billboard 200. Iyi ndirimbo yerekanye ubushobozi bwe mu guhuza injyana zitandukanye nka soul, jazz, na pop, bikomeza kumuhesha abakunzi benshi.
Mu mwaka wa 2016, Roberta Flack yagize ikibazo cy’uburwayi bwo mu bwonko (stroke), ariko akomeza kwitabira ibikorwa by’umuziki. Mu mwaka wa 2022, yatangaje ko arwaye indwara ya ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), indwara igira ingaruka ku ngingo z’imitsi, bikaba byaramugizeho ingaruka ku bushobozi bwe bwo kuririmba no kuvuga. Nubwo yari afite ibi bibazo by’ubuzima, yakomeje kugira uruhare mu muziki kugeza mu minsi ye ya nyuma. Yitabye Imana ku itariki ya 24 Gashyantare 2025, mu mujyi wa Manhattan, asize umurage ukomeye mu muziki w’isi.
Roberta Flack asize izina rikomeye mu muziki, aho yegukanye ibihembo bitandukanye birimo Grammy eshanu. Indirimbo ze zakomeje kugira ingaruka zikomeye ku bahanzi batandukanye, ndetse n’abakunzi b’umuziki muri rusange. Umuhate we mu guhuza injyana zitandukanye, ubutumwa bwimbitse mu ndirimbo ze, ndetse n’ijwi rye ryihariye, byatumye aba umwe mu bahanzi b’ibihe byose.
Urupfu rwa Roberta Flack ni igihombo gikomeye ku isi y’umuziki. Ariko, umurage we uzakomeza kubaho binyuze mu bihangano bye by’ibihe byose, bikomeza guhumuriza no gushimisha abakunzi b’umuziki hirya no hino ku isi.
Reba Indirimbo “Killing Me Softly with His Song” ya Roberta Flack:
