Online Reporter
Tafadzwa Zimoyo
Zimpapers Entertainment Editor
WHILE most artistes are snoozing through January, gospel singer Everton Mlalazi has ignored the lull as he dropped In the Presence Vol.3: Great God album, which is sending shockwaves across regional and international media.
Mlalazi sounds happiest when he speaks about collaboration and that joy is immediately audible on the album.
Released on January 2, this year, the album does not arrive with the urgency of an artiste chasing relevance, but with the calm assurance of a worship leader fully settled in his calling.
“This project was born out of fellowship,” Mlalazi said.
“Every collaboration came from shared worship, shared history and shared reverence. I didn’t want features for names, but I wanted voices that pray the same way I pray.”
The multi-award winner gospel artiste said, that spirit of unity defines the new album, ‘Great God’, a 14-track worship offering that represents a significant step forward in his musical development. While he remains one of Africa’s most decorated gospel artists, this album deliberately shifts attention away from trophies and toward refinement.
“Awards are encouraging, but they don’t shape sound,” he reflects. “Season, obedience and discipline shape sound. This album comes from years of learning when to sing and when to be silent.”
Even the rollout reflected intention: the lead single “Angeke Kulunge” arrived in November 2025, followed by “Mweya Mutsvene” in December, before the full album dropped at the very start of the year. “January felt right spiritually,” Mlalazi explains.
“I wanted people to begin the year in worship, not noise. This was about setting an altar, not following an industry calendar. I believe timing is also worship.”
Musically, the album is deeply African while remaining accessible to contemporary worship spaces.
“Muri Mutsvene”, featuring Oncemore Six, opens with reverence rather than spectacle, its layered harmonies unfolding patiently as a declaration of God’s holiness. “Holiness needs space,” said Mlalazi.
“You can’t rush reverence.” The title track “Great God”, featuring Nigerian gospel star Moses Bliss, introduces a celebratory lift, blending Southern African choral warmth with West African gospel energy.
“Working with Moses was effortless,” he notes.
“We didn’t rehearse conversations, we worshipped. When worship is genuine, the song carries itself.”
Some of the album’s most powerful moments are found in quieter passages. “Munondida Ndakadaro” reflects on unconditional love with lyrical simplicity. “I wanted the words to feel like a confession,” Mlalazi explains.
“Sometimes worship is admitting that God loved you before you got it right. Ekhaya” revisits a theme that has followed him throughout his career, God as refuge and home. That song will probably follow me my whole life,” he admits.
“It’s my testimony in melody. Every season, ‘Ekhaya’ means something deeper.”
One of the album’s most resonant collaborations is “Baba Ndiri Mwana Wenyu”, recorded with Harare MUMC Choir Vabvuwi.
For Mlalazi, the moment is deeply personal.
“I grew up singing hymns,” he says. “Even though I’m from an SDA background, the hymn tradition in the UMC and SDA is spiritually similar. The theology, the reverence, the structure — it’s the same heartbeat.” He describes the experience as a homecoming rather than a stylistic experiment.
“When we recorded that song, it felt like Sabbath afternoon worship. No rush, no performance — just truth.”
That sensitivity to tradition without being trapped by it becomes one of the album’s greatest strengths.
“Zuva Rangu”, featuring Takesure Zamar, leans into contemporary worship while retaining African melodic phrasing.
“That song speaks guidance,” Mlalazi says. “It’s about trusting God to light your path when clarity is missing.” “Ngaavongwe” and “Flying High” introduce joyful praise moments without disrupting the album’s devotional flow. “Praise is also prayer,” he adds. “Joy can still be reverent.”
The response has been immediate. Within just 20 days of release, Great God was already dominating gospel charts and playlists — a rare achievement for a January release.
Multiple tracks gained traction across radio, streaming platforms and church worship sets. “I don’t measure success by numbers alone,” Mlalazi reflects, “but when worship travels that fast, it tells you the Spirit is carrying it.”
Crucially, this success comes at a point when Mlalazi has little left to prove. “Growth for me now is not about doing more,” he says.
“It’s about doing better, doing deeper, and serving longer.”
However, Mlalazi, songwriter and philanthropist, founded EM Music and The Vine Music Ministry, began his solo career during the COVID-19 period with Virtual Hymns.
He has collaborated with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Vashawn Mitchell, Janet Manyowa, Minister Michael Mahendere and continues to influence gospel music globally.
Mlalazi holds a Doctorate in Music and Performing Arts from the Global University of Science and Technology, in the United States, and is celebrated for his ability to blend African gospel traditions with contemporary worship.
