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Lawrence Moyo
CONSISTENT gospel musician, Mathias Mhere has defended the inclusion of hip hop artiste, Voltz JT on his album launch next month.
Mhere is finalizing his 11th gospel album, titled Akati Anesu Emmanuel, which is a reflection of his music journey, looking at the hardships he faced.
And to celebrate the launch on September 6, Mhere has lined up a show that includes known gospel artistes like Fungisayi, Jonah Chivasa and Dorcas Moyo while Mbeu and Voltz JT come in from the “secular” side.
Social media responses to the line-up have focused more on the presence of Voltz –born Nkosilathi Sibiya- than Mbeu as hip hop is considered to be the farthest from holiness.
“Yes Voltz JT is not a gospel artiste; he is a hip hop artiste but the music industry is one. We are a family and it’s good that we unite with everyone in the industry and show love. We do not select nor judge other artistes. We are ready to work with anyone available for a project. That’s what shapes our industry.
“The people performing at the album launch are artistes I have a relationship with and are also available on the day and it is also influenced by the budget available. Some come through just to support and that’s what shapes the line up,” said Mhere.
Looking at his project, Mhere believes his 11th album shows continued growth as an artiste.
“God has been by my side throughout the journey and I am very grateful. Through hardships, through happy moments God is with us.”
Mhere has involved three producers on the album.
“The album will have 10 tracks. Some are ready while others are being finalised in studios. I am working with Golden Fingers, Lyton Ngolomi and KB Studios, there are three producers on the project.”
He has also started working on videos to accompany the album with the initial plan being to have five ready in time for the launch.
“We have already started working on videos, plan is to have 5 videos by launch.”
With the industry having lost the CD sales business, Mhere believes there are plenty of opportunities to generate meaningful revenue on the digital platforms.
“The plan is to have a big presence on digital platforms and also flash drives, there will be a few CDs on sale because there are still a few people who still listen to CD music but flash drives will be plenty at the launch. We are getting something meaningful from digital, online platforms like Amazon, You Tube, iTunes while we are also earning some revenues from live shows. At the end of the month you will have something worth staying in the industry.”
Mhere intends to embark on a tour to promote the album after launch.
“We will promote the album after the official launch. There will be a series of shows, starting with a show in the Harare Gardens and then we go countrywide after that.”
He feels the album is his best in as far as production is concerned.
“This project is bigger than all the previous once, it’s a very big improvement. From the sound, we are trying to modernize and take care of the needs of the younger generations.”
Having been in the industry for over a decade, Mhere has been fortunate to retain most of his band members for long periods.
“The band is still largely the same, there are some members, who have been with me since 2014 and one or two have come in to replace a couple who left the country.”
Mhere revealed that there are three collabos on the album.
“I do not have a favourite song as yet but there are three tracks which are collaborations with Jah Prayzah, Mbeu and what I would call Mathias Mhere and Friends. The collabo with Jah Prayzah is titled Ndini Here, which is about a person who has been lifted from a troubled past.
“The song with Mbeu is about child abuse while the one with friends is done the way Reverend Chivariro did Ebenezer. On the track I feature the likes of Bethen Pasinawako, Dorcas Moyo, Baba Mechanic Manyeruke, Jonah Chivasa, Sebastian Magacha and Prince Chigwida. Everyone comes in with verses.”
Online Reporter