Gospel diva Simeti breaks silence

Joyce Simeti

Gospel diva Joyce Simeti, who had taken to the backstage over the last three years, is set to announce her return from her self-imposed sabbatical with the release of an eight-track album titled Ndakabuda Pakaoma.

The songstress is renowned for the hit track, Kudza Baba Namai, which dominated the airwaves a few years back.

Simeti, who spent the last quarter of 2015 in Australia, told NewsDay that the album is currently work in progress at veteran producer Lyton Ngolomi’s music stable, Lyt-On-Studios.

Simeti said she was now back and in the game and the album would be released before the Easter holidays.

She said she took long to release the latest album because she wanted to give its predecessor, Anozvigonesesa, space to breathe as it was still faring well on the market.

“I admit that I have not been releasing albums since 2013. The reason is that my last album Anozvigonesesa was still doing well on the market and I had to give it more time, hence me being out of the studio for a while,” she said.

“My fans are now nagging me and each time I meet them they ask me whether I am still into music. I have thought of coming out of the shell and meet the demands of the fans.”

In 2012, Simeti was at loggerheads with Diamond Studios following the stable’s failure to release the album Anozvigonesesa.

This was because Ngolomi, who was a part-time digital producer at the stable, refused to release the album as the studio had failed to pay him an undisclosed amount of money for his services.

A renowned fashion designer and hairdresser, Simeti commands a huge fan base especially from the United Families International Church, where she is also a member.

Simeti started taking music seriously around 1999 when she recorded her first album Tose Takadanwa with Ngaavongwe Records. In 2002, she left her hairdressing career to take music as a full-time profession. She has so far released six albums.

She has also produced other hit songs like Ndichamupa Mbiri, Ndakange Ndisipo and Makandinzwa. Newsday