The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Correspondent
SOUTH Africa-based Zimbabwean songbird Berita Khumalo has revealed that late Zimbabwean musician Oliver Mtukudzi was the inspiration behind her latest single Ndicel’ iKiss, a love ballad that is making waves on the airwaves down South.
Khumalo was one of the young artistes that collaborated with Tuku when he was still alive, and in the past she has spoken about how he, together with Hugh Masekela, played a significant in her development as a musician.
Now the songbird has revealed to South African media that the late Zimbabwean music icon was the inspiration for Ndicel’ iKiss, the single she launched at News Cafe in Hemingways Mall recently.
“I wrote this song in December 2018 and on that particular day, I was missing tata Oliver a lot. I then decided to write a song inspired by him,” Berita said.
Due to the link to Tuku, Khumalo said the production was dear to her heart, something that was reflected in the length of time she took when making the track.
“I spent a lot of time during the composition making sure it would feel right. I also played all the guitars and worked with one producer to keep the production team small for a personal touch,” she said.
After she made the song, Berita made her fans part of the process by inviting them to help with choosing the single’s artwork. This, she said, was due to the fact that she thought it helped her connect at a deeper level with her fans.
“I make music as a soundtrack to people’s memories, so it’s very important that in each step of releasing the music, I keep them involved and excited,”
She also revealed that work on her upcoming album has started.
“For now I am very excited by how my new single has been so well received.” I’m very grateful for that and I’m encouraged to go and work on my best album yet,” she said.
