Prudence Katomeni-Mbofana lends voice to Mahachi

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Showbiz followers have rarely linked Prudence Katomeni-Mbofana to gospel music

Showbiz followers have rarely linked Prudence Katomeni-Mbofana to gospel music.

BY OUR STAFF

Rather, she is known as the cute young girl who starred in the film More Time and the mature voice behind the lyrics BP Yangu Yakwira.

With her catchy smile and lovely dimples, Katomeni-Mbofana has been one of the beautiful faces of the jazz scene and the big screen.

That face has hardly been linked with the pulpit or gospel music stage. However, tables turned when a video for rising gospel musician Tatenda Mahachi’s song Ndibvumbamirei was released.

It emerged the smooth vocals, complementing Mahachi’s voice, were done by Katomeni-Mbofana. She appears on the video with that photogenic aura that is seen in More Time and Playing Warriors, among other films.

The song Ndibvumbamirei has become very popular and made waves on local music charts, while its video has caught the attention of music critics. Mahachi said he was humbled to work with Katomeni-Mbofana, a talented artiste.

“She is gifted and no one can take that away from her,” said Mahachi.

“She is my aunt and I have personally known her since I was young. She is one of the few people that inspired me to go into music. I admire her because she is multi-talented. If we were not related, I would not have the guts to ask her for a duet.

“I saw her as someone who was miles ahead in terms of experience, and I could not imagine her featuring on my song. I felt belittled whenever we discussed music.” Mahachi said he was glad their joint effort had yielded positive results.

“She was ready to assist when I told her about my plan to sing with her. She took time from her busy schedule to come for recording in the studio and to also travel with us to Domboshava for the shooting of the video.”

Katomeni-Mbofana says she was happy to collaborate with another generation of musicians and also spoke about her involvement in gospel music.

“Many people do not know that I did a song with the late Brian Sibalo. I was one of the backing vocalists for the song, It is Well. I was still a young girl then and I did not have any more projects with him because I had school work to focus on,” she said.

“This track with Tatenda is my second gospel recording, but it does not mean I do not do gospel songs outside the studio. I have always been a worshipper and I enjoy praising God with my voice. I have done so at various other arenas and I am hoping to have more gospel recordings.”

Ndibvumbamirei is on Mahachi’s third album titled Agare. The gospel musician has produced good songs before but he has managed to catch the attention of gospel music fans with the latest release.

Mahachi said he is on a mission to take the gospel to another level. He is expected to release a DVD of the album soon. He has also embarked on live shows and on November 30 he is scheduled to perform at Dining Point in Harare.