Former barefoot village herd boy David Mmbi of Malavuwe village, outside Thohoyandou, is today the toast of the area, after a long and winding but successful musical journey.
His debut Afro Jazz Tshivenda album, titled Lushie Lwo Naka (a beautiful newborn baby), is becoming so popular that even young children keep on reciting his songs during playtime. The album is receiving massive airplay on SABC radio and Limpopo regional community radio stations.
In a dramatic move to consolidate his self-proclaimed musical crown, Mmbi left his thousands of adoring fans crying for more when he performaned at the Makhado show grounds last weekend.
Commonly known as King David by his fans, Mmbi started his musical career by playing drumbaza (a guitar-like home-made instrument made of an old oil tin and rubber bands) while he was 12 years old. “I started playing music just to entertain people, performing at wedding feasts, Christmas carnivals and school concerts. I bought my first guitar in 1989 after I had raised money by collecting firewood and cleaning other people’s houses. I then played with different disco groups, including the now-defunct Mahoshi and Jekete in the nineties, but things did not go well until I decided to dump music and look for a job.”
He says the music bug kept on haunting him and he decided to go back to music. “I was attacked by a mysterious illness and I spent a long time in hospital. I had lost hope to live until I saw a vision in my hospital bed. My late grandmother was telling me that things would never be right for me until I delivered good news to the community through music. I then called family members to bring my guitar to the hospital, and I got better and better when I played it daily. After I was discharged from the hospital, I forgot everything and started concentrating on my music career.”
He added that he was unemployed at the time and did not know where to get the money to record his music. “I tried to raise money by doing piece jobs and asking donations from family members and friends. I worked hard until I got enough money to go to the studio, and the rest is now history. I am satisfied with the way in which the album is being received by members of the community. It is in almost every household and I am very happy for the support I am receiving from my fans.”
Mmbi says the album was released last month and has already sold more than 15 000 copies, "a great achievement, considering that I am doing the marketing and distribution on my own. I have no doubt that it will continue to sell because people are supporting me overwhelmingly.”
Apart from the title track (Lushie lwo naka), some of the hit songs that are on everybody’s lips are A dovhe a mu fune, Lwo tuwa na bada, Lufuno, Mukegulu, Nese la Tshilidzini and Nyamutwa wo lala.
David said he would never forget to thank all the people who had played a role in his musical career. “I cannot mention them all by name because they are too many. I recognize their contribution because I am what I am because of them. I will always worship my fans because their support is massive. I will go back to the studio next year and I promise to give them something hotter than my present offering.”
