BY Grant Moyo
Singer-songwriter and music producer Gugulethu Khumalo, aka Berita, ascribes her genuineness in music to the mentoring she got from illustrious music legends.
Known to make classic music that resonates beyond age and race, she values the power in genuineness to attract the right people and to influence spiritual, professional as well as personal success.
Berita is a multi-award winning Zimbabwean-born musician based in South Africa fondly known for her preciseness with the guitar and an authentic blend of sweet Afro-soul.
She immigrated to New Zealand in the mid 2000s and moved to South Africa to pursue tertiary studies in 2012. This is when she began performing and recording music. Her sensational single titled Thandolwethu introduced her to the South African music industry. To date the songstress has released four studio albums.
Her music career has been blessed with esteemed collaborations with African legends like the late Grammy award-winning jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela, the far-famed Yvonne Chaka Chaka, the late renowned Oliver Mtukudzi and house DJ icon Oskido.
The songstress has released chart-topping dance hits with music giants Black Motion, Mobi Dixon and Da Capo.
“My music career has provided me with blessings, and taught me to believe in myself, be persistent and never stop working. I have been fortunate to have been mentored by legends such as the late Oliver Mtukudzi, Yvonne Chaka Chaka and the late Bra Hugh Masekela,” Berita told Standard Style.
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“Spending quality time with them taught me about the importance of authentic music that surpasses any trends that are sure to come and pass. I have learned to trust myself with my sound, and I also adapt by collaborating in different genres.”
Last year the musician established her own recording and talent management company Assali Music. She bought the masters to her first two albums, played at major festival stages, and released three Top 40 singles.
Her Ndiceli’ikiss short-film was entered into more than 30 international film festivals and the single was picked up for an international Netflix feature film, Holiday In The Wild, starring Rob Lowe and Kristin Davis.
On February 14 this year, her current album titled Songs in the Key of Love debuted at Number 3 on the iTunes charts. The album lead singles titled Ndicel’ikiss and Jikizinto are chart-topping songs. Not so long ago Ndicel’ikiss was sitting on the top 40 most played songs on South African radio, and Jikizinto followed suit, most recently.
“The project titled Songs in the Key of Love is my fourth studio album. This 13-track album is a conceptual body of work detailing the bliss, joy and blessings of love. I wanted to make an album that would be a soundtrack for lovers,” Berita said.
“After releasing the single titled Ndiceli’ikiss last year, I found that my fans connect with my pure message of love and passion. I believe love is the answer, first love for yourself and the people around you. Love is a commandment from God. Hence, I continue to spread more love in the world through my music.”
What warms her heart the most is the reception the album has been getting. The singer-songwriter is chuffed with the way people from different social backgrounds connect to the album storyline. She attributes the significant outcome to her decision to stick to her own blend of Afro-soul, with a touch of pop and soul.
“I am pleased with the album’s reception. I am glad that people relate to the album story and love listening to the whole album without skipping a track. The track titled Ndikhawulele, translated into English as Meet me in the middle, is the opening song of the album. In this song I ask the listener to take this journey with me. Track four titled Makoti is a wedding song. I grew up going to weddings in the community. I wanted a song that would accompany lovers on their big day,” she said.
Berita has performed around the continent gracing festival stages in East and Southern Africa, namely Bayimba International Festival (Uganda), Lake of Stars Festival (Malawi), Jakaranda Music Festival (Zimbabwe) and Cape Town International Jazz Festival (South Africa).
Besides receiving critical and commercial acclaim, she has earned platinum sales and numerous awards. Noted music awards include Metro FM Best African Pop Album, Wawela Songwriter of the Year, Zimbabwe Achievers Award Music Artiste of the Year, as well as Skyz Metro Afro-soul Song of the Year, to mention but a few.
Berita has clearly found her vision, her genuine approach has invoked notable success in her music career and beyond.
Genuineness is a key element to consider when developing a career path, it paves the way for the desired attention and evokes opportunities to make strides.
