Chronicle Editor
Yvonne Ncube, Showbiz Correspondent
AN eight-year-old girl, Sibongubuhle Nondumiso Mathobela, has released an album comprising of five gospel songs after showing that she was born to sing at a very young age.
Going by the stage name Sis Thobe, the Grade Three learner at Dumezweni Primary School in Bulawayo has taken a solo path and successfully recorded her debut album. All along, since the age of two, she had been under Kingdom Ambassadors gospel group.
In an interview, her father, Bencuter Mathobela, who is the founder of Kingdom Ambassadors gospel group, said she started singing when she was about to turn one.
“She started singing at a very young age when she was heading for her first year. I still recall the day when she sang the song Bayethe Ngonyama when she was lying on her bed. The way she sang was too good for her age.
“That’s when we realised that she was good at singing. When she was two years and eight months, the late producer, Joe Maseko discovered her talent when he heard her singing the song that we were about to record. He then persuaded us that she was good enough to record. Ever since then, she has been singing under the Kingdom Ambassadors which was founded by my wife and I,” said Mathobela.
He said the up-and-coming gospel singer’s stage name was derived from her last name.
“Sis Thobe is the stage name that she has been using ever since she started singing. We extracted it from her surname Mathobela. She’s the second daughter in the family and we can safely say she takes after the parents.”
Mathobela said they are making sure that their daughter’s schooling is not disturbed by her music passion.
The decision to make her go solo, Mathobela said came after the realisation that she was ready to go it alone.
“We’ve been grooming her, so, so as not to hide her talent, we realised and decided that she’s now fit to go solo. This is her first album as a solo artiste and it has five tracks, God is good, Jehova wasendulo, Bayethe, Ivangeli lakudala and Indingo,” he said.
Mathobela said, for now, Sis Thobe’s songs are only available as hard copies, but he shared that they are making arrangements to avail them on digital platforms. – @SeehYvonne
Online Reporter