Blessing Shumba
Tawanda Marwizi and Lovemore Meya Arts Correspondents—
Mutare-based musician Blessing Shumba and his former producer Oline Anderson are on a warpath following the leakage of the musician’s upcoming album scheduled for release next week. A close source said Shumba was notified by his church members that his unfinished album was circulating in Mutare.
The fallout reportedly started when Shumba moved his project from Anderson to another producer Charles Aibeki who resides in Harare.
“Shumba gave the album to Aibeki because he was not happy with how Anderson was handling it,” said the source.
Shumba confirmed that he received reports that his album had leaked.
“I am still investigating the matter but I was notified by some church members that the album is already circulating,” he said.
He refused to shed more light on why he decided to move the album from Anderson to Aibeki.
“There is no controversy as you guys put it I decided to finish it in Harare so that it becomes easy for us to work with our studio, Metro and that’s it,” he said.
Anderson claimed Shumba took the album to complete it in Harare without notifying him.
“I am just told that he has decided to have the album in Harare but if he uses my material without acknowledgement I will take the legal route,” he said.
However Anderson refuted the claims that he leaked the album.
“I have unfinished songs of Shumba’s album and there is no way I can put them on the market,” he said.
Sources said the fallout began when Anderson was granting newspapers interviews blaming Shumba for delaying to release the album.
“Oline was pressurising him to release the album and persuading journalists to write about the delay which did not go well with the man of the cloth,” said the source.
“The album is good, to be honest with you, and Anderson could not wait to push it to the market but Shumba was not satisfied and he engaged Aibeki to complete it,” he said.
Shumba is set to launch the complete version of the 10-track album “Holy Psalms Volume 1 “ on August 8.
“I am promising a quality product to all my fans. The album is hot because I have gone a notch up by adding flavour to it with the use of a lead guitar on some of the tracks,” he said.
“We are preachers and on the album I am touching on a number of issues from preaching and advising people. I am giving them hope that when the going gets tough should ask for God’s intervention.
“God loves everyone and in times of great need people should turn to him. God is our pillar of hope and he wipes away our tears in times of grief,” said Shumba.
Some good tracks worth listening to include “Ndine Chipikirwa”, “Nyaradzai Vanhu” and “Mwana Wangu”.
Shumba said that some of the songs on his album were done by a South African producer Nancy Mpofu.
The musician came to the limelight in 2008 where he recorded his first album “Ishe Wazvose”.