When approaching the new suburb of Hob House near Chikanga in Mutare you come across a small shopping centre where different people do their day to day business. Just after the shopping centre, driving Westwards on a rough terrain, one comes across a house secured by a brown precast wall.

A black gate leads to the main entrance of the house.

In this main room is a six-piece brown room divider with an LCD TV receiver and home theatre on it.

Kakhi sofas and a wooden coffee table are well-complemented by a khaki carpet is spread in the whole room.

This is the house of Mutare-based gospel musician Blessing Shumba.

The Herald Entertainment took a peep into the musician’s life and he opened up on different issues.

The musician who was born in Buhera 1979 under Chief Nyashanu started his career in 2008 where he recorded his first album “Ishe Wazvose”.

“I recorded the album and came back home where I stayed with it for close to two years not knowing what to do until a church mate advised me to present it to recording stables,” he said.

He added that he then visited a local recording stable that rejected his music.

“I tried my second chance with an album “NdiMwari” which then made an impact on my career,” he said.

Turning to the issue of another musician Mathias Mhere who snatched the musician’s band members he said that was blown out of proportion.

“I don’t want to comment on that issue because people will blow it out of proportion.

“I sometimes tell promoters to call him if I am busy because we are just missionaries and we work to preach the word of God,” he said.

He dismissed the theory that he was once arrested and that’s when he met Mhere.

“I was never arrested in my life. That theory began after I worked with musicians from Mutare Prison Services and people thought I was once incarcerated which is not true,” he said.

The “Mufaro” hit-maker added that he has decided to give the group’s name to their coming albums with volumes.

“Holy Psalms Volume 1” is the name of his album that will be unveiled at the end of February.

He said songs that will be on the seven track album are “Kureveteka”, “Kutenda”, “Chimwe Nechimwe”, “Ndomudzanira”, “Nyaradzai Vanhu”, “Ndine Chipikirwa” and “Chikuru Rudo”with some of the songs done by a South African producer Nancy Mpofu.

Recently the musician announced that his former keyboardist and producer Lyton Ngolomi will not be the producer of his coming album.

Music critics accused Ngolomi of creating confusion in the music industry after he did similar beats for Mhere and Shumba.

Mhere’s first album under Ngolomi was initially mistaken for Shumba’s release as pirates capitalised on the confusion.

However, Shumba insisted he had no problem with his producer and went on to work with him in the studio.

The gospel musician insists he has not dumped Ngolomi because of any differences, arguing he was offered free services by a South African producer.

“There is no bad blood between me and Ngolomi, it’s just that there is a South African producer who offered to do an album for me for free,” said Shumba.

He added that he is willing to work with Ngolomi in his next project.

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