SA-based singer unveils new album tonight
SOUTH Africa-based Zimbabwean gospel musician Raymond Bopoto will launch his new ninetrack album titled “Batai Dzimba” tonight. He will have an on-air launch at Radio Zimbabwe studios in Mbare.
Popularly known in music circles as “Mr Ray”, Bopoto began singing at the tender age of seven and subsequently started performing to a live church audience when he was in grade seven, growing in the discipline until he became a leading vocalist.
Based in Polokwane, South Africa, Bopoto has recorded two other albums under his Recording Studio, The Magi Records.
His debut eight track album, dubbed “Never Despair” had limited airplay, with only one of the tracks track called “Mushandirapamwe” receiving significant attention.
“Masvingo eJericho”, Bopoto’s second album, which also had eight tracks, performed much better than his first, with tracks such as “Ndinotenda” and “PaJericho” getting tremendous airplay on local radio stations.
“It was an uplifting phase of my career to see my music being appreciated as was evidenced by the airplay which the second album was getting on local radio stations,” said Bopoto.
“Batai Dzimba”, Bopoto’s latest album, has nine tracks which include the title track “Batai Dzimba”, “Mazviita”, “Chitenderano”, “Tsiye Nyoro” and “Shaina”.
The musician said that the new album has an excellent assortment of different songs that he believes have different messages which almost anybody can relate to.
The central message in “Batai Dzimba”, is a plea to God petitioning him to protect the family unit and strengthen mankind to respect and uphold the sanctity of marriage.
“If there is peace in the marriage, then there is peace in the home, then there is peace in the community and there is peace in the country.
That means we will have peace from the family unit to the nation and that will bring peace and harmony to the world at large”, Bopoto said.
Locally, “Batai Dzimba” is already receiving airplay with tracks like “Mazviita”, “Batai Dzimba”, “Karingondo”, “Nguva Ichiripo”, “Shaina” interchangeably frequenting the charts.
An avid social commentator with a biblical base, Bopoto said that his choice of the gospel genre is deliberate because that is what he knows best and that is how he was raised.
The tracks such as “Ropa Rimwe”, and “Chitenderano”, speak to the need for a people to observe and value peace, highlighting the notion that we are one people who belong together.