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Tafadzwa Zimoyo Senior Arts Reporter
Award-winning gospel musician Minister Micheal Mahendere says the Mahendere legacy still lives on and was still in communication with his siblings.

Minister Mahendere made the revelation during the launch of his single, “Ndovimba Nemi”, at a private event held at Gotcha Nyama restaurant in Newlands, Harare, last weekend.

The song, is an anthem, a rallying call to those that trust in God. The song is eight minutes long with the video being trimmed to six minutes.

Speaking at the launch, the musician said he was happy about how people are appreciating and understanding the importance of gospel music and how it helps to bring the message of hope and love.

“Let me clarify the issue of Mahendere brothers, which some believe I destroyed with my solo project.

During the Mahendere brothers’ era, we were staying in Chitungwiza hence it was easy to write and rehearse songs any time. We grew up and got married and decided to go our separate ways. I did not destroy the group. We are still intact and I have even done a collaboration with Amos. Mike is in South Africa. We still consult each other.

“However, my latest song is a unifying melody, reminding the saints to trust in the Lord. Many fans will connect with the song because of the current situation and I have just released it at the right time,” he explained.

Minister Mahendere later teased guests as he dropped a snippet of the song’s video and said the full video will be released this Friday.

“This is my marketing strategy. I even instructed my team not to drop the video at the launch because I want people to listen and understand the song more before visuals. It is a worship and bit praise song hence people should connect with it more before watching it. The song is set in a southern African feel infused with rich guitar work and a balanced vocal melody,” he said.

He also said the single was birthed from a personal experience and is part of an upcoming album which will be released soon.

“I wanted to give people the message of hope considering we are affected by this pandemic, COVID-19. This is the time we should pray and turn to God. It is part of my on-coming project. There is a place I usually go for praying and it came to mind, I heard a voice — ‘Mweya Mutsvene . . .’ I then went back to the place in 2018 for more inspiration. Some of the songs we are singing now have been written in 2008 and 2010 among others,” he said.

Asked about why he was not doing any collaborations, Minister Mahendere said he loves collaborating with other artists but it is about value addition.

“I love collabos but I also have to protect my reputation, same as the other artists. It is about how I package my brand, it is what I check first and see if there is value addition to the song,” he said.

Surprisingly the musician later shared his experience performing in clubs.

“Back in the days, I used to play drums for Willom Tight, Dino Mudondo, the late Andy Brown and even the late Oliver Mtukudzi in the clubs. I used to wear a cap, hiding because I did not want people to see me. I want to thank my beautiful wife, Vimbai, for being there for me.

“I also played for Pax Afro and Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa heard about my music, that is when I received a call from him that I was not just a musician but a minister. The prophet said my music will inspire generations to come and here I am,” he said.