Apparently every skill you might want to master requires at least 10 000 hours of practice. Some people who are born with certain talents might not necessarily need that long to succeed, but they too have to push themselves until they get the rewards of their hard work.
It is unclear where we can place gospel singer, Norma Peteni, as she is both hard-working and talented. Whether she started off as just interested in music and then worked hard at it, or whether she was simply talented from the start, it really doesn’t matter, what does is that she is here now.
“I have always loved singing and started as far back as singing in the church’s junior and senior choirs. It was a case of just having fun without me realising that I could take this far.”
As way back as the mid ’90s, Peteni had already tasted the sweet feeling of performing on huge stages, but what she had not got was her big break which would only come two decades later.
“For the longest time I was okay with being a backing vocalist and I did a lot of work with several artists including my cousin, Vuyisile Peteni,” she said.
While some singers go to their grave content with being a backing vocalist, Peteni worked on her solo material on the side and now, 20 years after she first started singing, a solo project has been released.
Titled My Prayer, the album boasts a maturity that can only come from studying a craft for so long.
“I wrote all the songs with the help of my producer, TK Ntsepe. It was a really amazing experience and I am glad we waited this long,” she said.
Radio has already taken a liking to the project with songs like Sempete Wena and Sepafano enjoying regular airplay. TV has also caught on, playing the videos for the two songs.
“I wrote most of these songs to share my story, give some advice and encouragement where I see fit. It’s an album you can play in all kinds of situations.” she said.
There are some traditional songs with new arrangements to show Peteni’s depth.
“Whether it is an original song or otherwise, I am using this album to tell my story and show people what God can do to those with faith,” she said.
The My Prayers tour is in the works and Peteni hinted that it will most probably cross South Africa’s borders.
• My Prayers is at all music stores.