New era for The Unveiled

Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent
“DON’T ever give up. Don’t ever give in. Don’t ever stop trying. Don’t ever sell out. And if you find yourself succumbing to one of the above for a brief moment, pick yourself up, brush yourself off, whisper a prayer, and start where you left off. But never, ever, ever give up.”

This quote by Richelle E. Goodrich best summarises music outfit, The Unveiled’s music journey as the group that represented the country at the just ended Old Mutual Amazing Voices competition proved that through dedication, people can go places and change the mindset of many.

Through this dedication that was adored by many viewers of the show and the judges, the group has already started receiving bookings to perform at events showing how bright their future in the music industry is.

It is now up to them to keep up the momentum from the show as this will lead to many bookings and opportunities.

Interestingly, this group was formed last year by musician, Joshua Mtima from Harare who teamed up with 12 others from his city.

The sole purpose of the group’s formation was to participate in the Amazing Voices competition that was slated for South Africa.

Members, Mtima alongside Ashley Mapfumo, Owen Kabasa, Munashe Mazarura, Mary Anibal, Chipo Muza, Melbah Madzima and Nyachide Thokozane were to be shortlisted to participate in the competition at Sun City alongside nine other groups from Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana.

However, the group was dealt a major blow as five of their members remained behind as only eight people were required. Those who remained were Gift Nzua, Kudzai Sachikonye, Orion Mtima, Brandon Japajapa and Salem Mtima.

From their formative stage last year, the group was faced with challenges as they did not have any place to rehearse with the Covid-19 restrictions in Zimbabwe not making things any easier for them.

Saturday Leisure caught up with the group which is back in the country after three months in South Africa where they made the competition’s top three. Sadly, the group bowed out at the last minute to South Africa’s Hush SA who were named winners of the Amazing Voices second season.

In an interview, The Unveiled spokesperson Ashley Mapfumo narrated how their journey throughout the competition was filled with tribulations and the discovery of new mechanisms of how to stay upbeat in the cutthroat industry.

He said from the onset, the Covid-19 regulations that were put in place at a time when they were preparing for the auditions was a major blow for them.

“The journey was quite hard as we didn’t have much time to prepare for the competition’s auditions and the competition itself. We weren’t able to meet up for rehearsals due to travel restrictions in Zimbabwe and also, rehearsal space was an issue as we used to rehearse at parks.

This saw us doing things hurriedly leaving us with little time to rest, but in the end, it all paid off,” said Mapfumo.

He said one of their greatest highlights was being the first Zimbabwean group to make it to the Amazing Voices competition top three and just appearing on the coveted show.

“Our greatest achievement was actually being on the show among nine other great groups. Making it to top three was even greater.”

Mapfumo said focus is now on putting together a robust plan that will ensure the group continues running smoothly. Already, their stint at the competition is paying off as they are now stars back home.

“It feels good to be back home. We’ve had a number of interviews and we’re slowly becoming a favourite of many as we’ve already started to clinch gigs which is good. Zimbabweans have been so supportive and we’re grateful,” said Mapfumo.

“This week, we made our virtual performance in the country when we performed at the 2021 Top Companies Survey Awards. Though the event was virtual, there were a lot of encouraging comments. People have also been messaging us, requesting for shows and we’re looking forward to shining in our country,” said Mapfumo.

He went on to thank Zimbabweans for their support saying even though they did not win the US$100 000 prize money, they are glad that they won Zimbabweans’ hearts.

“Just being in the finals was a big thing for us and we were honoured to represent our country. We don’t take this for granted and appreciate every moment that we experienced. We might have not won the money, but we’ve won the greatest treasures of life which is your hearts as Zimbabweans and we’re grateful for that.”

The group’s leader went on to assure locals that the group’s music journey has just begun as they have a lot of plans.

“Don’t be discouraged for this is the beginning of a new era. It’s the start of something great. The Unveiled will continue performing as we’re not stopping for anything. Please continue supporting us as the journey has just begun,” Mapfumo pleaded. — @mthabisi_mthire