I have oftentimes seen several gospel artists distributing leaflets outside church venues advertising the release of their new albums. I normally accept the leaflets out of politeness and usually do not bother to read them.
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However, one flyer moved me after reading it and I became curious about its contents to the extent that I invited the artiste behind it for an interview.
I do not usually quote from the Bible but this gospel artist has inspired me to do so. Zechariah 11:17, reads: “Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! The sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.”
These words are not meant for Tatenda Seth Mahachi, for he is a clean gospel shepherd who will guide his flock through thick and thin. He will not abandon his flock no matter what the circumstances are. He has been preaching the gospel and lobbying Christians to return to Christianity through his music.
Born in a Christian family on August 19 1984 in Chikangwe, Karoi, Mahachi attended Chikangwe Primary School and later Chikangwe High School for his O’ Level education. He then moved to Liebenberg High School where he did his A’ Levels before embarking on a marketing degree with the Zimbabwe Open University. This was followed by his pursuit for an executive Business Leadership diploma.
His music career began during his secondary school days when he was encouraged to join the church choir by his mother who played a guitar at the church. With growth in confidence, he was chosen to sing for various church gatherings within Karoi, singing mostly Charles Charamba’s songs.
As he became more popular, he formed a nameless music group with six other Christian fellows.The public, who responded very well to their music, decided to call them the Chikichi Boys because they always began their songs with the nonsense syllable, chiki- chiki-chiki.
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As the Chikichi Boys got older, some got married and others went to different parts of Zimbabwe and the group was forced to disband.
It was not until 2002 that Mahachi decided to try his luck at recording. He travelled to Harare, hired session musicians and went into a recording studio without rehearsing with the musicians. The product that came out of this union was of poor quality. He went back to Karoi a frustrated man.
However, in 2006, he was back in Harare, this time armed with ideas on how best to follow his passion for gospel music. He got himself a job at Grain Marketing Board and saved enough money to have another go at recording.
Despite the hardships experienced by many during that period, the album Miedzo came out with a bang in 2007. This was followed by a video which was rated 10th among the year’s top 100 videos.
In 2010, with assistance from producer Mono Mukundu, Mahachi was on his way up. He recorded the album Kure, which featured the hit single Vanogona which was well-received. The passion had paid off.
There was no looking back for Tatenda at this stage. He went back into the studio and recorded Agare on which he collaborated with Prudence Katomeni-Mbofana on Ndibvumbamirei, which did very well and remained on the Zimbabwean charts for 36 weeks. He also worked with another gospel artist, Sebastian Magacha. His music has been played widely, reaching international television and radio stations such as Ghana Broadcasting Station, Zambezi Magic and America’s largest religious network, Trinity Broadcasting Network which broadcasts through television, internet and mobile devices. He was also played widely by South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), resulting in him being awarded with the SABC’s Crown Gospel Award.
With this, the international doors began to open for Mahachi. He was invited to collaborate with Sfiso Ncwane in South Africa.
This year Mahachi released his latest video,Usacheme which was shot in Durban and Dubai by a Nigerian company, Paro Works. This video is being played on a number of regional and international television channels.
I asked Mahachi about who inspires his music and this was his reply: “I am inspired by Charamba and Mechanic Manyeruke. These two have been in the business for a long time and have had no controversies or scandals. I admire them and I hope I will be like them.”
He added: “There are several gospel artists who take music as a hobby. I will not mention them by name, but my advice to them is that they should take their Christian values more seriously and use music to spread what they believe in.”
Mahachi, who recently gave a performance in Dubai, has befriended a gospel musician from the United States, Isaac Simpson and they have collaborated on a single entitled Who Cares For You? This song will be released just before Christmas this year.
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