BY PHUMZILE NDLOVU
MBABANE: A prayer for peace!
Local Afro artist Bholoja has collaborated with the South African Tshwane Gospel Choir on a song titled, ‘We Pray for Peace’.
The music video was released yesterday and is available on YouTube for streaming. Tshwane Gospel Choir is a musical group consisting of young, vibrant, and talented musicians who possess versatility in their craft. Bholoja born Mbongiseni Ngubane, is considered one of the most relevant figures in the contemporary African music scene.
When reached for comment, Ngubane shared with this publication how the collaboration came about. He said, “I was contacted by Bheki Langa, who is the founder of the Tshwane Gospel Choir, to collaborate with the choir. I loved working with the choir. We have already performed at the State Theatre on a song that I composed,” shared Bholoja.
According to the artist, the song is between eight and nine minutes. When asked who he worked with on the song, he said, “All I know is that Bheka Mthethwa played a major role in directing the song and music. It was produced in Pretoria, South Africa and recorded there.”
According to Bholoja, the song will be available on all electronic media platforms. He added, “I believe we’re still going to work on the song that I produced featuring them in my first Gospel album. Working with such a big team has been a dream come true.” I learned a lot from the different personalities who are easy to handle, especially if you know what you want.” The artist shared with this publication that he looks forward to seeing them perform in the country.
Ngubane early this month made the Top 200 World Music Charts in Europe this year. It’s worth mentioning that the artist made number five on VIDA and took the 65th position for his song titled Imphilo, which has recently been released. The song was produced in Europe.
After the success of his first album, Swazi Soul, released in 2009, Bholoja gained vast appreciation and earned ample recognition in Southern Africa, becoming the first liSwati artist to achieve international exposure solely through the works of his music. He draws his inspiration from Swati tradition and seeks to preserve the country’s cultural heritage through his songs. His music is a response to the changing global situation and African growth challenges. Bholoja’s unique and original brand of music, which he calls Swati Soul, quickly gained popularity in Southern Africa, and his distinctive and outstanding voice has become its symbol. It is hard to classify his characteristic music as it meanders and bends between his various sources of inspiration, such as alternative soul, Gospel, Jazz, Blues, and African traditional.
