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Langalakhe Mabena
On a mission to further his international influence in the world of music, Austria-based veteran traditional and contemporary musician, Blessings Nqo Nkomo has collaborated with Anna Starzinger on an Extended Play (EP) titled Great Souls Never Die.
The project will officially be released on 4 May. The EP is a follow up of a single they released late last year titled Amathalenta (Talents), originally composed by Harmony Sounds.
Anna Starzinger is a celebrated cellist, actress and composer from Vienna, Austria. She is the daughter of the Algerian percussionist “Guem” and an Austrian academic. She is a purified creative who graduated from the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.
The EP which was recorded at Bethline Studios, comprises four songs titled Ikhaya (Homeless), Wenhliziyo Yami, Amathalenta (Talents) as well as the title of the whole project Great Souls Never Die.
On the project, Blessings Nqo said they worked with several backing vocalists including Vusa Mkhaya, Thandy Dhlana, Noma Nkwali as well as imbube ensemble Amaqaqa.
On the instruments, Anna Starzinger played the cello. On the guitars and keyboards he credits Mthabisi Moyo with Bekezela Siziba (Sjure) playing percussion.
Blessings Nqo — a member of well-travelled imbube group Insingizi, said that the entire project was all about giving hope to people and making them believe in themselves and all they do.
“This EP is close to my heart because I worked with one of the greatest talented creatives in the world who is Anna, a humble human being whose music always preaches peace and love.
“The production of the EP came about as a collaborative effort from many creatives with different backgrounds, something that solidified the masterpiece. We worked with the likes of Vusa Mkhaya, Nkwali and Amaqaqa to mention a few.
“The vision was to make the project solid and also foster artistic collaborations on an international level as we worked with Zimbabwean and Austrian creatives. I’d like to thank everyone involved in the making of this work,” said Blessings Nqo.
On how the collaboration with Anna came up, Blessings Nqo said they met while they were touring Germany.
“Anna and I sometimes performed together at a project called Muzuluart and we have been touring together for a while now.
We had a concert in Germany at a place called Munster and while we were backstage, she overheard me singing a gospel song.
“She joined me with her cello and we blended very well in sound and harmony. She said she loves gospel music and that became a common factor for us and led to the re-arrangement and composition of Amathalenta. After that, we never looked back as now we are dropping this EP,” said Blessings Nqo.
The EP is available on all online platforms including iTunes.
Online Reporter