TOP gospel songbird Primrose Cement, who successfully resurrected her career after dropping a new album last month following a seven-year sabbatical, has advised other musicians to desist from creating scandals in trying to gain popularity.
gospel music sermon with The Master
“Let’s not think that we are going to be popular by creating scandals. God raises people, not scandals. Let us be born again Christians and sing gospel,” Cement said.
The much-awaited album Tendeukai Nzvimbo Iripo has been well-received by her fans since she last released another hot album Siya Tifare in 2010.
The health challenges which afflicted her following the birth of her son is the reason why Cement, who had recorded nine albums since her debut Jesu Ndichangamire in 1997, had to take a break to recuperate fully, she told the Master.
“You can ask why were you quite all along. I gave birth to my one and only baby boy and I had constipation and blood pressure, most of my time I spent it hospital,” she said.
In an industry saddled with the piracy scourge, the latest album has got her loyal fans excited and sold over 300 copies within days despite the artist’s departure from her traditional beat.
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“I have done much, much better of course. Some say that there is a beat that you stick to, they know me by my traditional beat,” she said.
“But what I do is that if there is a message; if it’s reggae or if it’s jazz, it does not matter as long as I put forth my message.”
She said the album was a mixture of jazz, traditional and South African beat.
The Tariro Iri Muna Jesu hitmaker expressed her love for one of the songs on the new album titled Welcome to Africa.
“I am proud of our continent and my country Zimbabwe, whereby I tell them we did not come from apes and monkeys but we were created in the image of God,” she said.
Cement said gospel musicians should look up to those who pioneered the genre.
“Don’t have the pride to approach them and seek advice. I am also a product of Baba Manyeruke and have learnt a lot from him,” she said.
God shows wonders to those who trust in Him, she said, while giving a testimony on her successful career.
“Whenever you start trusting in God and not trusting in people, God wonders. When you trust in people, there is a time when they lift you up, and then they put you down, but when God starts lifting you up, He does not get tired. God does not get jealous and He doesn’t fail.
“I am inspired by the Word of God that I read everyday and the fact that I am a born-again Christian,” she said.
“My biggest testimony is that there was a time when I was with another group, we disagreed and I decided to go solo.
“That time it was so difficult, but I want to thank God that there were songs that came to me directly. It’s like they were songs that I composed, but the songs came directly from God.
“You should sing deep messages that convince people that you are singing about the Word of God.”
Cement said musicians were now singing shallow songs.
“Nowadays, you just go into a studio, you meet a person you have not seen before who says just sing one line and your start recording. That is very wrong and they should invest in your work by putting more effort and not complain,” she said.
Married to Panganai, who she said is her pillar of strength, the couple is blessed with four children — three girls and one boy.
Her first born child Priviledge is also a gospel artist and does her mother’s backing vocals and arranges most of her mother’s songs.
Born Sipathisiwe Ganyani Mashava, Cement thanked her producer Lyton Ngolimi of Ngaavongwe Records, who assisted her for a long time and Pastor Andrew Gore at Glad Tidings Fellowship Ministry in Glen Norah.
l You may contact the columnist, Albert Masaka on Email: [email protected]
