WATCH: MJ Sings chuffed ahead of album launch

IN October last year, Afro-soul songster, MJ Sings proved that he was one of the finest artistes in the city after staging the Spring Fiesta which turned out to be a massive success, attracting good numbers.

The colourful festival which was meant to celebrate and welcome the spring season, lived up to its billing. It was evidence of the amount of work that the multi-award-winning MJ Sings had been putting in.

He has not stopped since and in a month’s time, he will deliver what is promising to be yet another memorable show for music lovers in Bulawayo and the country at large.

“The Prince of Soul” as he is popularly known, is set to launch his debut album titled Umuzi and what better place to launch an iconic album, than in an iconic place? The album launch slated for August 12, will be at the Bulawayo Theatre.

“On the 12th of August, people, as always, should expect a lot of energy. I think it’s going to be one of the best performances I’ve ever done because we have been putting in the work during rehearsals. It’s going to be world-class,” MJ Sings assured Chronicle Showbiz.

If you thought that the Spring Fiesta was his best performance ever, the Prince of Soul is ready to change that mentality with a performance for the ages come August.

Sings believes that the upcoming launch will be much bigger.

“It’s going to be four times bigger because firstly, I don’t think people know what to expect in terms of the album, so it’s going to be a new experience for them and myself. Also, I’ve been experimenting a lot on the album so it’s going to be something big, and hopefully, people are going to feed into what we’ve been producing,” he said.

It has not been an easy past few months for the singer as he, together with his team, have been working throughout the clock to make sure that they deliver a perfect launch.

The musician said they will be rehearsing every day until the launch day. The album launch will not be a solo show as there are other decorated artistes that will keep music enthusiasts up on their feet throughout the night. An international act is also set to grace the Bulawayo Theatre stage on the night.

“Right now, we have Mandy Mae, Ado, Lord Edward, Asante Mo and Michael Drey who will be coming from Australia. I just want Bulawayo to experience artistes that are not usually mainstream.

“A lot of mainstream artistes are always getting exposure, shows and all, but I feel like there are some artistes people don’t know and this show is meant to expose them,” said MJ Sings.

Umuzi which translates to ‘home’ is a project MJ Sings has been working on for over five years. The album will speak to his aspirations as he will express who he is, where he started and the environment and society around him.

“Umuzi is basically my aspiration. It’s probably everybody’s wish to grow up and get to build a family. The album gets deep into how to get those things and how to go about life’s pressures.Things like love are what builds a home and that’s how I came about with Umuzi,” he added.

The album will have one feature, Thandy Dhlana as MJ Sings wanted it to be a personal project. Dhlana is an artiste that MJ Sings described as special.

“I wanted one of the songs to have her touch so she blessed us on that song,” he said.

The musician who is behind the hit Konke expressed gratitude to the Bulawayo community for their support throughout his musical journey.

“Through this album, I just want to say thank you to the community for the support and everything they have been doing for me throughout my entire career. ‘Don’t let this end with me, do it for everyone else and I can’t wait for you guys to experience this album because I created it with Bulawayo in mind,” he said.

After the launch, MJ said he will stage a number of shows and he intends to have a second launch in Harare. – @brandon_malvin