For years, multi-talented musician and actor Thabelo Mathuga tried everything in her power to avoid a calling from the gods and ancestors to serve as a traditional healer.
The Tshakhuma-born artist instead pursued music, recording her debut album, Vhutshilo, in 2007, followed by African Women in 2009. Her third album, Ni Songo Tuwa, was released in 2012.
“Despite them being good quality music, the albums did not do well in the market. I tried to reason why this was happening, and my ancestors came to me in a dream to tell me I was not doing things right. They instructed me to heed their calling and become a traditional healer, but I kept ignoring them as I did not want anything to do with that. The pressure kept mounting, and things were not going well with me,” she said.
Mushome, however, said she could no longer handle the pressure and was eventually forced to accept the calling.
“It was in 2020 that I heeded the call and became a traditional healer. I was also instructed to sing music that would appease the gods. I went back to the studio and recorded my fourth album, Mapfumo, in August 2025. The six-track album is highly spiritual, with tracks like the title track Mapfumo, Vhulombo and Mutshavhona stealing the limelight,” said Mushome.
She said that things are now opening up for her and working in her favour.
“The ancestors are now talking through my music, and I feel very rejuvenated and ready to produce another album in the near future. For now, I am kept busy assisting those with spiritual needs,” Mushome said.
Mushome is no novice in the entertainment world, having appeared in several movies and dramas, among them Ndidofa na Vhanzhi, TH na Skhokho, Muloi Haneti, Mufu Ovhonala, and Situation.