adminBongani Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
AFRO pop songstress Berita Khumalo has described her new album Songs of Empowerment as specifically meant for Zimbabwe, with songs such as Bulawayo and Mwana Wamai which features Oliver Mtukudzi and Hugh Masekela.
South Africa-based Berita who was in the city on family business said her 10-track album would be out in two weeks’ time and fans could pre-order it from i-Tunes.
“I felt that I want to make a song that would make Bulawayo people feel proud of their city. Music is universal even though I had one song in the first album called Ngithembele Kuwe in isiNdebele people did not know it. The only people who knew it were those who bought the album,” she said.
Berita said the song Bulawayo is about a man who lives in Bulawayo and has abandoned his lover.
“I was playing with the idea of the City of Kings and Queens and all the history that Bulawayo has. Then one day when I was down with flu, I was feeling low and I then decided to sing about a man from Bulawayo who abandons his lover,” she said.
“The song was inspired by my growing up listening to Lovemore Majaivana, whose music would take you and place you in the many situations he sang about.”
Berita said working with Mtukudzi and Hugh Masekela on her track Mwana Wamai was a dream come true and she was living her musical dream.
The award-winning Berita has become the darling of South African music lovers for her exquisite music. She last performed in the country at superstar Oliver Mtukudzi’s birthday bash last year.
“I had a set with ubaba uMtukudzi this past week at Carnival City where there was Ladysmith Black Mambazo. We sang Todii together, and I was amazed that my dream is coming true and I am living that dream. He is warm and always calls me ‘my daughter,’” she said.
Berita said the track’s message was about someone losing their way and Tuku singing as the uncle who was giving advice to his nephew.
She said she learnt a lot from the two when they recorded the tracks in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
“The track was recorded in three places, in Zimbabwe we recorded it in Harare while in South Africa we recorded in East London and finally in Johannesburg. It is in Shona, Ndebele and English. Bra Hugh was on his trumpet, Mtukudzi is on the other vocals and I did the last verse,” said Berita.
She said she hopes by the time she comes for the annual Kalawa Jazzmee Homecoming Party next month the tracks would be well known.
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