Chronicle Editor
Nkosilathi Sibanda, Showbiz Correspondent
Celebrated township pop music quartet, Ghetto Voices are proving to be a force to reckon with as their latest three singles have become chart busters in local and regional radio stations.
Ghetto Voices is a band made up of Bulawayo-born performance artistes, namely Roben Mlauzi, Thembinkosi Dube, Bekithemba Phiri and Lameck Keswa.
Since March this year when the lockdown came into effect, the band whose members are based in the Czech Republic opted to lock themselves in studio and what came out was nothing short of evidence of time well spent during the lockdown.
The three songs that have claimed instant slots on radio DJs playlists are Amahata, Sounds of Africa and Inxeba lendoda.
Locally, Khulumani FM led the pack in unleashing the songs while online radio stations in South Africa, Botswana, United Kingdom and Germany are said to be inundated with requests for the band’s works.
Having released the latest songs, the group has earned the moniker, “The stress relievers” as audiences attest that their laid back, comic commentary is the most needed relief to ease the pressure of surviving the effects of Covid-19.
Amahata and Inxeba lendoda are a social view of how life has turned out for many urban dwellers in these times of a health crisis.
Speaking from his base in the Czech Republic, the quartet’s spokesperson, Mlauzi told Chronicle Showbiz that they hardly expected their songs to attract audiences across the globe.
“Oh well, we did not think we had pulled a cracker. We appreciate the reception so much. It means a lot for us as artistes under lockdown,” said Mlauzi.
“Ghetto Voices’ songs like Amahata and Inxeba lendoda are interpretations of day-to-day township life,” he explained.
He said on the songs, the group worked with Blessings Nqoe Nkomo of Insingizi and Khotso Seromola Nare.
“Our music tells all kinds of stories that we face in life. We’re happy and delighted to see our music topping radio charts, buzzing social media and uniting the world especially in sad times like these.”
These three singles follow on the heels of yet another jam, Do You Want A Beer that clocked record audiences on the popular social media platform, Tik Tok during the first days of the Covid-19-induced global lockdown.
Ghetto Voices members are all known by fans as members of the vibrant dance ensemble, Iyasa. To experiment their vocal prowess on a different chord, the quartet decided to form a musical band and so far, so good.
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