Chronicle Editor
Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent
IN 2000, Bothwell “Bekezela” Nkomo, a student at Ihlathi Secondary School in the ghetto suburb of Tshabalala, Bulawayo was to start his musical journey.
This was after he provided guidance to the school’s first established choir. Since then, he has been teaching music and assisting various artistes, ultimately leading to him opening a music tutoring school in Bulawayo named The Vocal Choir in 2007.
Through this gift, Nkomo has ushered many artistes to their South African Music Awards (Sama) gongs although a few know of his contribution to the careers of artistes that include Berita Khumalo, Candy “Tsamandebele” Mokoena and Winnie Khumalo.
Last week, the artiste shocked many when he announced that his upcoming album, Vulani, would be his last. His die-hard fans asked why the Bekezela hit-maker had taken such a drastic decision at a time when his career seemed promising.
Saturday Leisure caught up with South Africa-based Bekezela, as he is now affectionately known in the music industry to establish why he took the decision.
He said he has always been more of a behind-the-scenes guy, something that he wants to pursue on a full-time basis.
“Those who know me very well know that even at school, I was always teaching others. Be it in the choir, I led the first recording of Ihlathi Secondary School.
“When I enrolled at Amakhosi Art School, whenever the lecturer left the lecture room, he’d return to find a choir singing as I was always teaching people,” said Bekezela.
In 2007, Bekezela said he opened a music tutorial school that he named Voice Lab.
“I remember there was an artiste by the name Nyamazana who’s now based in South Africa. He now goes by the name of Njebo and he is one of the first people I taught. People who were coming to me were not really artistes, but they were trying to learn how to sing.
Those are some of the people who made me feel like I didn’t complete my job because I met one of them in Botswana by the name Lethokuhle Dlamini and I’d forgotten him. He said to me, ‘you taught me at the Voice Lab’ and also sent me an audio of his music. Wow, he sings so brilliantly,” said Bekezela.
From this interaction with Dlamini, Bekezela said he felt compelled to finish off what he started, that is tutoring up-and-coming artistes.
He said although the likes of Dlamini can sing now, that alone is not enough as singing only constitutes five percent of one’s success in showbiz.
“So now I need to further guide and teach him (Dlamini) how to write a hit song, how to promote it and how to create a successful brand as well as getting his music played on various media platforms,” Bekezela said.
The artiste closed the Voice Lab in 2008 and relocated to South Africa, but he said he took the vision with him as he continued to teach school pupils and choirs there.
During the World Cup in 2010, Bekezela said he had a few gigs and it was in 2011 that he recorded the song Bekezela which was a hit across the Southern African region. Following this success, he decided to introspect. It was at that point that he decided to impart his knowledge to fellow artistes who needed it.
In the same year, he got to mould Sama-winning Berita Khumalo to be the superstar that she is today.
“It was in 2011 when I received a message on Facebook from a girl by the name Gugulethu Khumalo. She was in New Zealand at that time. She said to me, ‘look, I am coming to South Africa and my parents want me to pursue Financial Systems, but I want to pursue music thus can you help me?’. I said ‘as soon as you touch down, come and meet me in Johannesburg and she did just that.
“I shared my experience with her and suggested what needed to be done. She was a very dedicated and committed young girl. I remember giving her a slot on my Sunday basking at Carlton Centre as well as my guitar. She sang and wasn’t shy. People stopped by and then one boy who happened to know people at Alex FM spotted her and spoke to her. The next thing, they introduced her to some guy who didn’t waste time and the next thing, she was in the studio recording an album. Before we knew it, she became Berita
Khumalo,” narrated Bekezela.
“So, the gift has always been there to point people to the right direction, teach them and show them the way.”
Added Bekezela: “What also led me to make the decision to help people is my contribution to Berita’s album that scooped a Sama.”
Bekezela said the tutoring success was also solidified two years ago with Kendi Tsa Mandebele who asked him to help her with a song that had been rejected by Oskido. The song went on to scoop a Sama.
“It was a Shona song called Hupenyu hunenge vhiri. Oskido suggested that the only way the song could work was through her featuring me or Oliver Mtukudzi so she inboxed me. We went to the studio and before recording, I could tell that the song was lacking a guitar.
That gift as well proved itself because that album went on to be named by the song that was rejected and went on to take a Sama.
“The same thing has happened again as I was approached by Winnie Khumalo to place vocals on another song. There’s no doubt that the song is going to do well,” said the confident Bekezela.
However, this is not the first time that Bekezela has quit being a performing artiste as he did so secretly in 2016 and went job-hunting at News Cafe where he got a job as a waiter.
“I once hung my guitar in 2016 and worked for a year as a waiter. I managed to save up money so that I could go to bigger studios that were being used by the likes of Vusi Nova and Nathi and record at least one song.
“I knew I was being disadvantaged by lack of finances and better resources because when recording in smaller studios, the sound is not the same with the sound in bigger studios.
“My experience at Muthaland (record label) showed me that this industry is controlled by a system then, later on, it proved again that the system then favours the record label forces, not the artiste, so the artiste continues to suffer. The artiste suffers a lot because if you’re not part of a record label, you cannot be a part of the system,” he said.
These and more experiences have all contributed to Bekezela’s decision to go behind the scenes with the hope to assist the artiste not to be disadvantaged.
“So I can simply say I’m now going behind stage. I’m actually going deeper into music because I’m now going back behind the scenes where there’s a lot of work. Singing and being managed is easy because you just write your song and get into the studio.
“You’re just being told what to do and how to do it. There are people who do that and I need to cultivate that set of people first, especially in Bulawayo before I start working with the talent.
“I need to cultivate the administrators, the PR strategists, role managers, and the whole administration of the arts industry, people who will then explore the talents because that’s what’s lacking especially in Bulawayo.
“South Africa and USA are ahead because the artistes have people who are managing, pushing, driving and exploiting their gifts and looking for opportunities,” Bekezela said. – @mthabisi_mthire.
Online Reporter