BY WINSTONE ANTONIO
RISING gospel singer and songwriter Fortunate Siziba said while it was not easy being a female musician, patience, hope and perseverance had enabled her to achieve her desired goals and be an artiste she is today.
Harvest House International Church and Purple Pride Family musical group member, Siziba’s composing prowess, hard work and investment in her productions has resulted in her enjoying international exposure, enhancing her networking with foreign artistes.
Her latest song Pihwai Mbiri’s video, featuring fellow gospel artiste Jonah Chivasa, off her debut album, Be Glorified, was last week accepted on DStv’s TRACE Gospel playlist.
The TRACE Gospel available on DStv’s 332 channel showcases top level gospel music videos from various sub-genres across the African continent.
For an artiste’s video to be featured on this channel (TRACE Gospel)’s playlist, he or she must send a high definition file (mp4) that will be submitted to the viewing committee which will decide whether or not it be admitted to the playlist.
In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style yesterday, the 29-year-old singer said she thrived to work hard and had made a mark in the music industry.
“There are many challenges that women in the music industry face, but I am happy that through God’s hand I am able to push for the best. It feels nice, scary, awesome, lovely and good, in fact a whole lot of emotions that my song has been accepted to be part of the playlist on TRACE Gospel music channel,” she said.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“Having my video playing on TRACE Gospel is a stepping stone in my musical career as I get the much-needed opportunity to spread my music to international audiences while at the same time showcasing my talent, not only in my home country, but across the continent.”
Siziba believes that having her music featured on TRACE Gospel will enhance opportunities for collaborations with continental artistes who will have the chance to see her works through the channel.
Siziba said she was working on a number of singles that would be released as the year progresses, adding that she looked forward to collaborations on some of the singles.
“I believe collaborations unite artistes and enable them to exchange a lot of ideas in the process of recording. Also, besides uniting artistes, collaborations give audiences variety,” she said.
The Mberengwa-born singer launched her musical career in 2017 when she recorded her first single titled Muzita raJesu which became a chart-topping song on local radio stations’ gospel chart shows.
The following year Siziba retuned with her second single titled Tinokurumbidzai before she decided to take her career to greater heights this year with the release of her debut eight track album titled Be Glorified produced by McDonald “MacDee” Chidavaenzi of Eternity Productions.
The album, that is available on most online digital stores and streaming sites like iTunes, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon and Google play store, has tracks Pihwai Mbiri featuring Jonah Chivasa, Ndiregerere, Tumai Kubwinya, Heal Our Land (written by Siziba and Rambanani Baloyi), Muzita raJesu she core-authored with Mildred Shumba, Tinokurumbidzai, Taura Ndakateerera and Ndionesei.
Siziba said she got inspiration from seasoned gospel artistes such as Tasha Cobbs, Minister Michael Mahendere among other musicians who work hard to make a mark in the industry.
In her short career, Siziba’s composing talent has not gone unnoticed as she already has some accolades in her cabinet after she won the Best Female Vocalist 2018 and 2019 at the Harvest House Manicaland Hub Clash of Choirs and Harvest House International Church Clash of Choirs respectively.
The Clash of Choirs is an annual event hosted by Harvest House International Church where all Harvest House choirs from different parts of the world gather and sing.
Away from the stage, Siziba is a Banking and Finance graduate, who is pursuing her Master’s degree in Finance and Investments with the National University of Science and Technology.
