Thinah Zungu ( pictured) answered the phone for second and apologised that he could not speak because he was in the bank.
The scheduled interview had to be pushed back by 10 minutes and that was fine. Of interest is the fact that Zungu was literally in the bank, probably cashing in on the success of his third gospel album, Nginguthandiwe.
“People are really loving the new album,” said a somewhat shy Zungu.
“I think this is so because this is a much more powerful album which has some messages that people will find useful in their daily lives,” he added.
For him, although there are several themes on the album, the one thing that stands out on Nginguthandiwe is God’s love.
“I am using my own personal experiences to express the love of God. I am telling my listeners that God’s grace has no selected areas or people. He doesn’t favour some people over others. We all have our access to him because His love is generous and meant for everyone,” he said.
After winning two Crown Gospel Awards in 2012 for his previous album, Zungu is content with his production quality on Nginguthandiwe. As a result of the success of his sophomore album, Kuthe bekwazi, Zungu could not rush into the next project and the longer he took the more skills he acquired to better his next project.
“The standard of production is higher than my two previous albums and over the years I have mastered what it takes to make a solid album and I think we got it right here,” said Zungu.
Another reason for his con- fidence in this album is that for the first time he featured other musicians on a project.
“I had Dumi Mkokstad and Sipho Makhabane help me out with a few songs. Mkokstad is a good friend of mine and so we went on to do two songs, Babusisiwe and Fear Not. Makhabane on the other hand is like my mentor. He featured on the song Umoya Wami Uthi Yebo and it did not end there.
He taught me a lot about the business and how I should cultivate my brand. He has been doing this for a long time and so he knows a lot about the industry,” said Zungu.
This is of course a dream come true for the the 24-year-old singer who grew up listening to the likes of Vuyo Mokoena and Sifiso Ncwane.
He believes Nginguthandiwe has made him mature so much the fans will listen to it for a long time.
Plans for a national tour and music videos are under- way but meanwhile, the album Nginguthandiwe is available at all leading music stores nationwide.