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Upcoming gospel artiste finds the going tough

Life & Style
THE dream of venturing into gospel music is proving to be a challenge for upcoming gospel songbird, Constance “Amai Tshuma” Tshuma, who said she is finding the going tough, particularly on the distribution and marketing side.

BY JOEL TSVAKWI

THE dream of venturing into gospel music is proving to be a challenge for upcoming gospel songbird, Constance “Amai Tshuma” Tshuma, who said she is finding the going tough, particularly on the distribution and marketing side.

The Matabeleland singer, who recently dropped her maiden eight-track album titled, Minamoto, reckons that apart from talent, an artiste needs more qualities to make it in this cutthroat industry.

“There are a lot of procedural requirements of getting into the music that are not known by most novice artistes. It is not about talent alone, but many other underlying principles,” she said.

“Things like registering with Zimbabwe Music Rights Association, among others, while they are necessary they, however, tend to be scary. I did not know how to go about it.”

Tshuma said she was still to understand the dynamics of the music industry.

“I am still far from understanding how the industry functions. Initially, I thought it was an area where one can just get in due to passion, but it turned out to be something else. There exists a wide variance between wishes and reality in the music industry,” she said.

Tshuma, who feels that her geographical area and its inherent underlying challenges pose some hindrances for her growth, however, noted that she will soldier on until she establishes her name.

“I am not trying to be chauvinistic, but from what I have discovered unity and partnerships is the only way to go, especially to female artistes. Our shared aggressiveness into this seemingly male-dominated area can be to our advantage,” she said.

Some of the tracks on Tshuma’s album include the title track Minamato, Zimbabwe, Chasara, Glory and Uphakheme.