The Zimbabwean: Zimbabwe is witnessing the crowning of a musical princess in the young and gorgeous Kudzai Sevenzo.

Since the release of her first album, On A Day Like This, Kudzai has surely been maturing with age in her vocal presentation as well as in the depth and meaning of her lyrics.

Unlike other youthful singers who use back up CDs for public performance, Kudzai is a real performer. She puts heart to every word she is singing. Listening to her musical performances you are bound to shed tears with emotion and excitement.

Though her second album is still untitled, a few new songs that she has performed have been enthusiastically received. The album, which is expected to come out later in the year, promises to be a sizzling hot musical gem.

For a focused young artist with firmly set goals, Kudzai is always keen to learn new things. In 2004, she was the sole Zimbabwe representative in the M-Net television reality show, Project Fame, a South African musical academy. This year she was one of the 13 young singers from Africa to participate in the inaugural La Voix Workshop held in Zimbabwe during the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA). “The workshop was a fantastic opportunity for me to interact with other young musicians from different parts of Africa and create vital network links", she said.

Musical workshops are fundamental in the growth and development of young stars. Kudzai affirms this; "They obviously keep you a lot more networked and more importantly create ground for exciting collaborative ventures. Workshops are better than competitions. Though they celebrate individuality, there is more sharing of creative experiences."

Has she gained anything from these various mentoring initiatives? "Of-course I am learning to be a better musical artist from the continent of Africa. I love Africa and therefore always want my music to celebrate life in Africa." While the new generation of musicians cropping up in Zimbabwe is accused of singing nonsense songs and not contributing to the social fabric of their communities, Kudzai Sevenzo is sure shining above her peers.

"I have always believed that society should be changed through the arts, and that is what my music is set to do, to challenge the way people think and the way they view themselves."

By Tins Magaba
www.thezimbabwean.co.uk