The Sunday News
Nkosilesisa Ncube, Sunday Life Reporter
FROM Sunday School choir member to solo gospel recording artiste. So goes the story of 22-year-old Kudzai Musariri, affectionately known as Kudzie, a newcomer in the gospel music industry.
“I was very young when I started singing, I sang in Christian Faith Pentecostal Church Sunday School choir and at that time, I did not realise what a big deal music was to me. It was only after I joined the Praise and Worship team that I realised that I have a ministry and from there I started writing songs and went on to start recording music in 2015,” said the petite-sized musician.
She then recorded her eight-track debut album, Makatendeka last year which was only released towards the end of this September.
The album consists mostly of upbeat Shona and English praise songs, borrowing beats from different music genres such as house and Afro-beat. Kudzie said she draws her inspiration from her life experiences.
“Every time I write a song I reflect on everything that God has done for me and everything that He has taken me through. He has uplifted me in so many ways and it would be wrong not to share that with the world.”
Having tried and failed to secure herself a permanent spot in the corporate world, Kudzie realised that perhaps day jobs were not meant for her.
“I tried working here and there but because I was not passionate about those jobs, I had to leave them. Music is my passion and I always found myself going back to music after leaving a job. I tell people that music is my full-time job and they say that it is not practical, and there were times where I listened to them and almost gave up but looking back, I realise that God had a plan for me,” she said.
Kudzie, who alternates bases between Bulawayo and South Africa, says she has received a fair response from both sides of the border.
“Support from both my Zimbabwean and South African churches is overwhelming. My congregants were the first people to buy copies of my album, and of course, my parents have always been my biggest supporters,” she said.
While waiting for her first album to gain momentum in the market, Kudzie is already working on her second album; a nine-track project entitled Amazing Grace.
@nkocykay
