Banda’s gospel brings hope to the hopeless
BUDDING gospel singer Sbu Banda has elevated his music profile since collaborating with contemporary gospel icon Benjamin Dube.
Banda, 33, who grew up idolising Dube, could not believe his fortune when the iconic singer agreed to do two songs in his albums. Dube also assisted in production, giving the album some class. He is featured in
and “I felt honoured to work with someone I grew up listening to. Pastor Dube is my father’s favourite artist. When I was young I would play his music on my father’s piano.
“When I brought him in, he did not behave like a celebrity. He was there to impart knowledge. His input took the standard of the album to another level,” Banda says.
Born in Mkhuhlu, Mpumalanga, Banda released his second album
in November. In his album, Banda sings in Venda, Zulu, Tsonga, Igbo (a Nigerian language) and English to expand his fan base.
is packed with songs about hope and it is highly motivational.
Banda says his music is inspired by issues that affect people everyday. He adds that South Africa is faced with many social ills and tense politics.
He says people have lost hope, that’s why things are not changing for the better.
“But if we trust in God, things will change [for the better],” says the musician.
“My music talks to people’s hearts. It gives them hope to see life in a different way.”
Banda says one of his hit songs in the album,
was inspired by a tragic event, when music executive Mike Maswanganyi committed suicide in 2011.
A few days before Maswanganyi died, he had promised to sign the singer because he loved his music style.
“Mike died just a day before we signed a deal. After he did not answer my calls, I discovered he had killed himself.”
Banda says he was devastated as the deal would have ushered him to the music industry big time.
“I just sat behind my piano and started composing the song.”
Banda was raised in a musical family. He was introduced to music by his father, who taught him how to play the keyboard at the age of five.
Since then, he has never looked back and has recorded two albums. His debut album,
won the Best Live Recorded Album at the INGOMA awards in 2013.
Banda, who now lives in Pretoria, runs a charity organisation called Ungalahli Ithemba Foundation. He raises funds through staging music concerts.
Through the foundation, he has donated funds, groceries and furniture to a child-headed home in Venda.