Gospel music sermon with The Master
Popular gospel songstress Sandra Chirenje is working on releasing a new track, which mixes mbira and modern beats, reinforcing her love for traditional music instruments, which began during her school-going days in the Chihota rural area.
Chirenje, who is the band leader of the eight-member Forever Praise Crew, said she would play mbira on the new track and had been honing her skills in that area since January.
“I have always loved our traditional music instruments even when I was in schooI. I was also a traditional dancer — that’s where I learnt to dance the way I dance on stage,” she said.
This is going to be Chirenje’s second single this year following the song titled Udza Mwari, which features Tinashe Mupambawashe, who is popularly known as Nendoro in music circles, released in January.
“The single is doing well on the market as evidenced by the response from listeners on Radio Zimbabwe and Star FM,” she said.
“It talks about how to tackle the challenges that people go through. The answer lies in God, they should tell God, who answers all prayers and petitions.
“I am receiving testimonies from people. Many have lost hope, but are uplifted. When you are rooted in the Word of God you will be strengthened by the Almighty.”
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Chirenje is riding on the success of her third album titled Shekinah, a 12-track album, which she launched in February 2018 on Radio Zimbabwe.
Three years before, she had released her second album Tichaivaka Chete, which she launched towards the festive season.
She expressed her joy over the progress she had made since her debut album Ndamuwana Jesu, which was released in February 2013 without being launched.
The 36-year-old Chirenje, who began her professional career in music in 2012, revealed that music was part of her family.
“I was brought up in a Christian family and while at a young age, I used to sing with my mother and sisters in the evening and sometimes during the day.,” she said.
“My grandmothers were singers, so it runs in the family.”
According to the songstress, she was raised in Chihota and only came to Chitungwiza in 2017 after she became the resident pastor of Good Seed Church.
She revealed that besides being an artiste, she is also a philanthropist who has helped people living with albinism with counselling and also provides them with free lotions.
“I do a lot of awareness campaigns on albinism, it started through Reverend Togarepi Chivaviro when I attended his launch, where I met friends from the Alive Albinism advocacy group,” she said.
“They invited me to be their brand ambassador in Zimbabwe and since then I have been passionately executing those duties to the best of my ability.”
Chirenje has also done a song titled Zvinondibaya Moyo off the album Shekinah, which addresses the challenges faced by people living with albinism due to stigmatisation in society.
“They need us right now, the lotions are very expensive and looking at things from my experience, most companies don’t accept them as employees due to stigmatisation,” she said.
She said Zimbabweans should understand that the condition is not a death sentence or a curse, and implored them to strive to help those who were facing albinism challenges.
You may contact the columnist, Albert Masaka, on email: [email protected]
