The gift of Muringa music

Gift Maringa is the type of musician who is patient and waits for the right time to strike. It took him eight years to prepare for his debut album, Avha Nne.

He is the new kid on the block and serious music lovers cannot ignore him.

The title track of the album which is now selling well is Avha Nne and this song has become like a national anthem. Hardly a function goes by without the song being played. The album has catapulted Maringa to instant stardom and is receiving massive airplay, beating the old folks in the industry. Almost overnight this artist has become much-sought-after property for live interviews by the different radio stations.

The multi-talented 34-year-old artist from Shayandima also boasts a BSc degree in computer science as well as several other diplomas. He said he was not surprised by the success of his debut six-track album as he had worked on the album for a long time.

“What I realised is that there are no shortcuts in life and that perseverance is the mother of success. I worked very hard, spending long hours working on the album, and it took me a solid eight years to come up with this album, but I do not regret an inch of it,” he said.

Maringa, however, did not enter the music industry through a back door. With two of his uncles, Christopher and Abel Mukwevho, being pioneers in the music industry, it was natural that the music bug would bite him. Maringa had to work hard to prove to himself that he could do it.

His big break came when his cousin, famous reggae star Colbert Mukwevho, roped him in as a vocalist for one of his albums. “I realised that I had the talent, which only needed to be polished here and there. I started rehearsing and composing songs, which took me a long time, and the rest I cannot even explain as you can see,” he said.

He said many people had asked him about the type of music he played, with some saying it was Afro pop and other names. “After careful thought, I have decided to call it Muringa music, but whatever name you can give it would be okay,” he said. He sings about his personal, day-to-day life experiences.

“Many musicians kill their music by not giving themselves time to work on their songs before releasing them. They succumb to the pressure of their fans and release half-cooked products which make their fans forget them very fast. I am that type of artist who believes in hard work. I worked hard to produce this album and I am still going to give myself time to work on my follow-up album, no matter how long it takes. I am going to give my fans the best,” he said.

Maringa recently performed live at the revered Bassline in Jozi, which is no mean feat for a rookie in the industry.

The album was recorded at Burning Shack Studios. It was produced by well-known bassist and engineer Mulalo Mukwevho and is published by Mbila Entertainment. Those having difficulties in getting copies can phone him at 078 294 6352.

Date:16 April 2014

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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