After disappearing from the music scene for about three years, a resident of Mulodi village in the Mutale area, Vhutshilo Gabara, has made a comeback with a second Tshivenda traditional music album.
Gabara's music career dates to about two decades ago. He was a leader of the Mulodi branch of the United African Apostolic Church (UAAC) church choir between 2001 and 2015.
He recorded three albums with the choir before going solo. His debut album with the choir, A vha na lufuno, was released in 2001 and was followed by Vha do senga and U Ndilani Khotsi in 2006 and 2013 respectively.
His debut album as a soloist, Tshinganangana tshi a tambudza, was recorded at the Micho Recording Studios at Rabali village in the Nzhelele valley in 2017. The album consists of eight songs. Some of the songs that made the album an instant hit with the fans include Musadzi wa munwe ha dzhiwi, Ndo tou shuma and Nwananga iyani tshikoloni. According to Gabara, Tshinganangana tshi a tambudza performed well in the market, even though it fell victim to piracy along the way.
Gabara and his band, Rotakuwa, went back to the studio towards the end of last year. His second album, Mulomo vha u fare, was released recently. This album consists of 10 songs. Some of the songs that are promising to drive the fans crazy include Mbofholowo, Marikana, Vavha ndi vha nga, Ndo vhuya and the title song, Mulomo vha u fare.
Just like his previous projects, the new release is self-marketed and distributed. The 33-year-old singer was one of the nominees for the Phalaphala FM Tshivenda Music Awards (Tshima) last year.
Gabara appealed to the government to find ways to root out music piracy and to subsidise upcoming musicians. For sales and live performance bookings, Gabara can be phoned on 072 389 7581.