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As a young woman in Zimbabwe, she would go through DRUM magazine, telling herself that one day she would grace its pages.
While her mum turned to the recipe section, the Afro-soul singer and guitarist headed straight to the advice pages then checked out every celebrity that caught her interest.
“DRUM was a big magazine,” says Berita, real name Gugulethu Khumalo.
Berita released her first single, Thandolwethu, in 2012 and has come a long way since then. She’s won a number of awards, including a Metro FM Music Award for best African pop album (2013), Wawela songwriter of the year award (2014) and a Zimbabwe Achievers Award for music artist of the year (2016 and 2019).
She loves what she does and is inspired by great artistes such as the late Oliver Mtukudzi.
“When I was younger, growing up in Zimbabwe, my parents would play artistes such as Oliver Mtukudzi and some artistes from South Africa such as Brenda Fassie, Mafikizolo and Malaika. I was very intrigued by music. I loved music, but I didn’t know then that it was my calling.”
It was only when she was a teenager that she realised she wanted to sing for a living.
“I attempted to write a novel as a teenager and I’d sent it to a publishing house. The feedback was that I was very good, but my writing lacked depth and they wanted a lot more.
“I realised that actually I can express myself better if I sing what I want to share in a song, and there would be fewer words needed.
That’s when I saw music with a different perspective and decided to pursue it.”
She can still remember the first time her debut single played on the radio.
“When I released my first album, I was still a student at Walter Sisulu University. My song played on the radio while I was in class. I received a call from my friend saying, ‘Quickly, put your headphones on, your song is on the radio.’ I put on headphones and looked for the channel for the radio station on those old Nokias that used to be popular back in those days.
“I heard Thandolwethu play for the first time and it was amazing. I had to stop myself from screaming,” she says.
Berita loves music because it can take people on different journeys. It can make you remember that first love, a moment with your parents, the first time you heard a Miriam Makeba song, she says. It brings back nostalgic moments and always reminds her of a particular place in time. There’s one artiste whose music always brings back warm memories for her and that’s the legendary Brenda Fassie, she says.
“Her Weekend Special makes you feel what Brenda was feeling at the time. It just lifts your emotions. You start to feel like ukhona umuntu odlala ngawe (there is someone playing with you). Every time I hear that song I feel Brenda Fassie’s spirit.”
Berita worked on her vocals for years and her sound is influenced by many iconic artistes, both local and international.
“I drew inspiration from artistes such as Jill Scott, Lira, Thandiswa Mazwai and Simphiwe Dana. After listening to such music, I realised that I loved it.
“I have been making music for nine years. My sound has changed from when I first started. At first I was influenced by soul music but when I was doing my second album (Songs of Empowerment) I drew a lot of inspiration from my late mentor, Oliver Mtukudzi.
“In my third (self-titled) album, I started fusing different musical elements such as pop, soul, jazz. My fourth album (Songs in the Key of Love) was influenced by Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life. That album was an album for lovers as its foundation was love and all the things we go through when in love,” she tells DRUM.
The 29-year-old singer will soon release an EP titled Dance, Praise and Worship inspired by how her relationship with God developed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s inspired by the need to draw closer to God during these times. It’s very gospel, but it’s also dance to give people a sound that they can enjoy and be uplifted by. We are all going through this global pandemic and we don’t know what is going to happen next. “I speak a lot about faith, I’m encouraging people to have faith.”
She also hopes that people will be inspired by her work and that of the people she collaborates with.
“On this EP, I have collaborations with artistes that people would never expect. I have a song with Makhadzi — IsiXhosa and Venda.
I also worked with Mpumie as well, so I have actually featured quite a few artistes that will excite people.” – DRUM
Online Reporter