Mathias Mhere stole the thunder at the fifth edition of the Open Heavens Gospel Crusade held at Harare Gardens on Saturday (photo: M Chibaya).
Rising gospel musician Mathias Mhere will begin a month-long maiden tour of the United States of America (USA) on February 16.
Mhere, who ventured into gospel music in 2005, has lined up a series of concerts in and around the American city of Dallas.
The Favour hitmaker is optimistic that his first tour of the USA will take his music career to a higher level.
“I was supposed to travel to USA in 2013 but I failed due to a personal issue which I have since sorted out. Right now, everything is now in place for the trip,” Mhere told the Daily News.
“I have done all the necessary preparations and I hope the tour of the USA will help in marketing and promoting my music across the oceans.”
The USA tour comes on the back of numerous trips by the Gutu-born musician to countries such as South Africa, Mozambique and the United Kingdom.
Mhere has been one of Zimbabwe’s foremost gospel artistes since the 2012 release of his second album Anoita Minana. The album, which was produced by Lyton Ngolomi at Lyt-On Studios, was propelled to dizzy heights mainly by the popular hit Favour.
The gospel artiste’s rise to stardom was, however, marred by controversy. It was initially mistakenly attributed to Mutare-based gospel star Blessing Shumba who incidentally was also using Ngolomi as his producer at the time.
Despite the controversy and confusion that dogged Anoita Minana, the album won Mhere a bigger following.
“Anoita Minana really worked miracles for me and it unlocked all the doors of opportunity in my life, making me an instant celebrity and significantly changing my standard of living for the better,” he told the Daily News at the launch of the album.
Emboldened by the phenomenal success of Anoita Minana, Mhere dropped the album Nguva Yenyasha last year. Packed with hits such as Ziya Rangu, Idya Tafura, Zino Irema, Number Busy, Mhandu Yedu, Peter Peter, Pamazuva Angu and Mutsvene Mutsvene, the album, which was also produced by Ngolomi, further enhanced the rising artiste’s status as a serious talent.
Mhere, whose debut offering called Tinoda Nyasha was released in 2007, is working on a new project which he says could hit the market in March this year. It is expected to feature music superstar Oliver Mtukudzi on a track called Tsano Handeyi.
Interestingly, despite the success of Anoita Minana and Nguva Yenyasha both produced by Ngolomi, Mhere has decided to entrust the forthcoming album in the hands of rookie producer Charles Aibeki, a former guitarist in gospel star Charles Charamba’s Fishers of Men.