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| Jah Prayzah |
HARARE – Music star Jah Prayzah — arguably the most successful Zimbabwean artiste this year — says the $7 000 birthday party he threw for his mother in 2012 unlocked the blessings he is currently enjoying.
According to the Jerusarema singer, his mother Shirley Mukombe, who was turning 57 then, was so delighted by the birthday party that she pleaded with God to usher unlimited blessings to her last born child.
“My mother was beside herself with joy. All she said was: Mwanangu dai ndine chokukupa pane zvawaita ndaikupa asi kungoti handina, asi zvawaita zvihombe. Dai Mwari akukomborera kasingagumi (My child I do not have anything to give you so as to express my gratitude to you for the birthday party you have organised for me. May God bless you in infinite ways,” said Jah Prayzah.
The high-riding musician believes these few words from his mother propelled his music career to a much higher level.
“There are some things we take for granted in life but they matter a lot. Before the event (birthday party) my career was okay but not really up there.
“I am convinced that her prayer that day has changed my life for good. Most of the elderly women I met at the party also applauded the move. They said the birthday party was also for them. This really uplifted my spirits.
“My career makes it difficult to be with my mother as much as I want but I always try my best to spare time for her,” he said.
After the party, Jah Prayzah released the blockbuster album Tsviriyo which earned him five awards at the National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) the same year.
“With Tsviriyo we managed to increase our fan base and some of them are now really big supporters of The Third Generation Band,” the red-hot star said.
Tsviriyo was followed by the equally successful Kumbumura Mhute and the record-breaking Jerusarema.
“Jerusarema has really taken my career to a new level. The manner in which music fans sing along as I perform all the tracks from the album has pleasantly surprised me.
“Jerusarema is one album that made people believe in my music. For example, I never thought Eriza would be such a hit. In fact, I almost excluded it from the album. The only song I was sure of was Jerusarema the title track,” he said.
Since the album was launched at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) on May 22 this year, Jah Prayzah has managed to hold an average of three concerts a week.
“Every music promoter in the country is interested in the Third Generation Band and as such we regularly turn down some gigs. This has made some people to wrongly accuse me of being big-headed,” said Jah Prayzah who has scooped 14 awards since he launched his music career.
Thanks to his blossoming music career, the music star has managed to open two music studios and an events-organising company called JP Events.
In addition to driving several top-of-the-range vehicles, Jah Prayzah is currently building a house in an undisclosed suburb.
“A lot has happened this year alone though I am not at liberty to mention all the success stories the album Jerusarema has brought about,” he said.
Jah Prayzah added that the success coming his way is also due to the contribution from the Third Generation Band.
“Without their support I do not think I will be at this level. We work as a band. I am particularly happy with my backing girls — Stimela (Fatima Katiji) and Gonyeti (Pamela Zulu).They have a lot of energy on stage.
“Gonyeti used to tire easily on stage but now she is equal to the task. Some sections of society stereotype women as the weaker sex but I subscribe to the view that women are strong and capable of executing even the most energy-sapping jobs,” he said.
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