BIO

The Gospel Truth

Nozipho Ndzukula has a dream. Her dream is to be the best gospel singer in the country and use music to preach to the unrepentant. This 24-years-old Bushbuckridge based singer is so serious about her ambitions exactly one year ago today she went to SABC2's Gospel Time programme to expose her talent and subject herself to a national vote.

The following week the results were out and she got 86%. Fourteen percent gave her a thumbs down. But in democracies it's not only the majority who matter, it's only in mobocracies were the voices of the minority are suffocated by the mob. However, this singer says she's not about to quit, obviously she's encouraged. She traces her background to her religious ubringing and the chances she was given to sing in church and as a backing vocalist while she was still a teenager. "I sing to thank God that I'm alive, now that I can't walk around with a Bible and preach at this time, I'm doing it through my music", she says.

Nozipho released her first album in 2005 titled "Sihamba Nayo (Inkosi)". She says, "it did good, I think it was well-received even though I was doing self-marketing. I was invited to places like the Eastern Cape, Polokwane and Giyani". Nozipho sings in XiTsonga which she says it's mainly because 'there's a huge gap in XiTsonga Gospel music'. For sure, how many XiTsonga gospel groups has one person heard recently?

She urges young wannabe musicians to be patient, persistent no matter how hard the going gets. "Strive for the best, remember how long it took the children of Israel to get to Canaan, which means you must have courage", she says confidently.

It took the children of Israel 40 years and Nozipho is only 24-years-old. She says all she needs now (not in 40 years time) is for public broadcaster radio stations to start pumping her music since the only airplay support she's received up to now is on Radio Bushbuckridge. She's got a case, public broadcasters answer to the public and Nozipho and her fans are also that public. She is praying that deejays see the light and offer her airplay like everyone else, especially on her upcoming album, which she hopes will be backed by a major company, given that she was given a thumbs up by gospel enthusiats on SABC2.

While waiting for her dream to come true she aspires to have her own recording studio, a couple of internet cafes and a communications and management company. - News@Ten