By Rudo Mandiro
Firm Faith’s music director, Marshal Matsilele, says a cappella gospel music ministry is rapidly evolving and becoming increasingly competitive. He emphasizes that acappella groups need to be supported in order to ride out the current wave and advance the word of God.
The growing appreciation for the quality of the music by gospel music promoters, coupled with the numerous invitations for established acappella gospel music groups to perform in different parts of the country, indicate that this music genre is gaining greater acceptance among Zimbabweans.
While many different gospel groups have emerged across Zimbabwe, offering diverse music styles, it seems that only a few acappella gospel groups have been formed.
However, it appears that funding problems are hindering the growth of this music genre. Very few groups have managed to record albums. That said, acappella music has managed to survive over the years, with many young and upcoming groups now focusing on holding performances in churches and other functions.
In Zimbabwe, gospel acappella music, which has long been overshadowed by other genres, has steadily gained acceptance and grown in popularity among consumers of gospel music.
While sound management can be attributed to the success of a few acappella groups, it is the consistency and dedication to producing high-quality music among the current crop of established acappella gospel groups that will give this genre a respectable position in the local music industry.
Apart from showing consistency and dedication to producing good music, another factor that has given a cappella music an edge over other forms of music is the ability of members to connect their voices while singing different vocal parts, which also symbolizes a group’s structural unity or organization.
Many followers of acappella music would agree that another reason they love this genre is that it gives individual group members an opportunity to demonstrate their vocal abilities through fronting their groups in selected songs.
Among the groups that have remained consistent over the years is Firm Faith. However, the group is currently facing a myriad of problems, ranging from financial to the mass exodus of members due to varied reasons.
In an interview with the group’s music director on the sidelines of their recent performance in Borrowdale, Harare, Matsilele said that while they have come of age in terms of producing good a cappella music, financial stagnation is highly affecting them.
“Our journey has been difficult. We started as students, self-sponsoring. Most of the group members were not working but were expected to attend rehearsals and commitments. On top of that, fans were also expecting us to record songs and videos.
“Twenty years down the line, we are still struggling financially. Of course, we are now working, but our fans are expecting much more. We are now an international group, and we ought to maintain that international standard,” said Matsilele.
“We need a public address system, our own recording studios, and a commuter omnibus. In addition, we are currently preparing for the launch of our ninth album this year. All these things require money. Hence, we are pleading for well-wishers, the business community, and the corporate world to partner with us,” he added.
“Some of our members are getting married, others are relocating, and others are going abroad. All these are affecting us, as you know it is difficult to teach new members the songs that we sing. However, all being said, we will not quit singing. We will soldier on,” said Matsilele.
“We now want to be more aggressive with our music in terms of packaging and production.”
Firm Faith stepped into the music industry in 2006 with the release of their first album called “Maria.”
