Excelling beyond borders, making waves outside his home ground and raising the Zimbabwean flag high from his base in South Africa is a young man called Mthandazi Nyathi. He is well known in the arts world as ‘Intercessor’. His stage name simply buttresses his already strong character that shows how passionate he is about what he does in the arts and entertainment industry. When one is in a field of their calling, surely nothing and no one can take anything away from them. The level of dedication he carries, coupled with commitment makes Intercessor stand out as one of the most courageous and trailblazing creatives from our beautiful rainbow province, Matabeleland South of Zimbabwe.
The young man born in Manama area in Gwanda, a place where he also grew up, is currently based in South Africa. There, he is pursuing his music career. The Afro-pop genre is his area of specialty, this is where he feels most at home. “I’m a versatile musician but my main genre is Afro-pop”, he says. Since childhood, Intercessor has had a strong passion for music. Growing up, he used to be the best vocalist at school, church choir, as well as drama group. These were early tell-tale signs of his hardworking and passionate nature.
The Joburg-based, creative reveals that his zest for music developed in the year 2019. Previously, he had gone down the acting path. He however felt less inclined to this area of art but later joined his friends who were in the music industry and thus truly found his footing. He does acknowledge the contributions he made while in the acting field when he discloses that he formed one of the illuminated drama groups of that time.
Manama Kom-Unite in Arts (MAKUA) is the name of his brain child. A drama group he affectionately defined as, “the best in entertainment during that time in the whole of Matabeleland South”. Intercessor pays tribute to the two members of the group who have passed on, that is, Boiketlo Malemane and Jonias Dube (may their dear departed souls rest in eternal peace). The MAKUA group is sadly survived by just two members, a young man, Ntuthuko Mabulala and himself.
Intercessor explains how he moved to South Africa in search of better survival and how he got off to a great start. He found himself in “The Queen” and “Isibaya”, soap operas where he used to come in often times as an extra. “I decided to go to South Africa to look for a better job and continue my acting career. As l arrived, I found an agency that I worked with and I was doing extras on the soapies “The Queen” and “Isibaya” that air on Mzansi Magic. Unfortunately, things did not go well because I did not have adequate documents to get a big role on television, I kept pushing until I met South African guys who were doing music”.
Intercessor is a creative who has done incredibly well in the arts and entertainment sector and light-heartedly, he boasts of the several accomplishments under his name. With us he revisits some areas of his music that he has enjoyed as the years went by, “In the music industry I enjoy doing shows, creating new music and touring new places”. This is a man who has done some commendable collaborations with big names in the music world.
The year 2019 saw the release of his 8-track album titled Ngisemathandweni. This is an album that houses such amazing songs, songs that will surely get one in their feels. Sobabili, Buhle bakho, Ngivumeleni featuring the late P Brian, Girl of my dreams, Ingilosi (Ngirozi) featuring Dino Mudondo, Uthando Lwami, Ngisemathandweni feat P Face(Mozambique) and Lance Hebron and Bengikuthandile where he featured Dino Mudondo, the Rasta Kwasa artist, with whom he made Ingilosi (Ngirozi) song.
The album Ngisemathandweni was the first he ever released. This is an album that set him on a pretty high pedestal as it launched him into the music industry and went on to win the best album of the year title at the 2019 first edition of The Eminent in Sports, Music and Academic (TESMA) awards held in Gwanda, Zimbabwe. That same year, the song Ubuhle bakho received a nomination for the best RnB song at TESMA. Intercessor did it again in 2020 when Inde Lendlela, a result of collaborating with the Bulawayo-based artist, Leslie, scooped the Best Afropop song of the year award.
Intercessor’s musical journey is far from over. He has proceeded to release five singles which he proudly lists; “ I did a Sobabili remix featuring Trevor Dongo. There are two projects also released that seek to promote the Sotho culture which are Ko Gae featuring Mtee Bolamba and Still You feat Zizikazi and Q. Mpumelelo, the Konke Sizokulungisa single is a cover song for Martin from Ndolwane Super Sounds. Martin was so gracious as to grant me permission to do it and release it under my distribution. Another single that I have released is Inde Lendlela featuring Leslie Kampila. That is the one which won the Afro pop song category at the TESMA Awards”. Intercessor has also worked with Bhadilah, Gettie Diamond creating some great works.
Intercessor highlights that the rest of the songs that he has are features and are doing well on the streets. He is featured on an Amapiano song by Zizikazi and Leslie Kampila titled Imbengwana yothando(Kahari kerudo) where they sing in 5 languages: Ndebele, Sotho, Shona, English and tongues, (yanda ndere boshanda). “I am also featured on a song by a South African upcoming and promising singer called Yanda TrapSkandi, the title of the song is Impumelelo.
“Trevor Dongo proved excellent and instrumental as we worked on the remix for my song called Sobabili that is part of the album”, adds Intercessor. Intercessor recorded his first single in 2019 in South Africa at Ice n Flame Studios where Lance Hebron was his producer. “I started taking music seriously because of him, Lance Hebron”. He is happy to share that DJ Drummz is the producer he mostly works with in his projects and adds that the two understand his direction as far as his music is concerned. The single was received with thunderous applause and the excitement from his audience is the force that pushed him to work on his album, Ngisemathandweni.
Intercessor is optimistic as his music is largely played on Zimbabwean and South African major radio stations, “So far I am 100% sure that my songs are playing in Zimbabwe on Power FM, Radio Zimbabwe, National FM, Khulumani FM, Skyzmetro FM, Ntepe Manama FM, and in South Africa on Siyathuthuka FM, Nongoma FM, and Hilbrow FM.
The Afropop star explains how his music is different from that of the creatives of his age, “I do music for the elderly as compared to what my mates do. Most of their music focuses on the young generation and I think this is one of the reasons why I always make it in big stages”. Intercessor also explains how his kind of music appeals to different audiences when he says that he has a wider fan base as he focuses on Afro-pop, deep Afro-pop and the current Afrobeat in order to accommodate everyone and mostly the elderly listen and support his music. Intercessor believes that more influence is among older people, this is where the credibility and the seriousness of his art in the music industry can be found. He mentions that there are few youthful influencers hence he receives all the support mostly from the generations that came before him. “When I started music I made it a point that into yami yonke engiyenzayo ilabadala phakathi ukuze ihlonipheke”.
Intercessor makes it a point that every day he works on improving his style in the art of music and is privileged to work with renowned artists who give him all the hope that he is surely on the right track. “I was welcomed well into the music industry, working with bigger artists shows how big I am even though I used to doubt myself, today I can safely say that the future is bright”.
This creative icon from Manama is currently under the mentorship of Lance Hebrouitar. He comes out each time with lessons he believes will help improve his music using his own skills and these will help in exploring his creativity as much as he can. “If I master the keyboard techniques I can be perfect enough, I can play or compose songs using my own skills, but if there is nothing that I know about playing the guitar it becomes difficult, it means I will always have to rely on someone else’s creativity”. He also adds that the ability to play the guitar will also mean that in some of his shows, he can play the guitar by himself, a goal he will surely reach in no time.
“I want to learn everything elemusic phakathi ngoba yiyo impilo engifuna ukuyiphila, maybe later on I will be doing all these things on my own and lokho kuzongenza ngibe lolwazi kakhulu noma nje iproducer idlala ngami ngisheshe ngibone ama mistakes”, concludes Intercessor with a little smile lighting his face up.
