The 21-year-old B Comm student made it to the final list of 46 contestants, who will battle it out in the next phase of the popular singing competition.

After impressing judges at the Pretoria auditions, the songbird sat down with the Popstars production team for a brief interview. In the interview, Noluthando talks about her career and what she is hoping to bring to the local music industry.

Q: Where do you live?
A: Sandton

Q: Does Rebecca know about you entering Popstars?
A: I didn’t tell my mom about Popstars until I was shortlisted for workshop. I think I wanted to surprise her and it definitely worked.

Q: What was her reaction?
A: She was so excited and surprised because she didn’t know that I wanted to pursue singing right now. I used to sing a lot when I was in high school but decided to put my business goals when I matriculated.

Q: When did you singing?
A: I started singing when I was in primary school. I was 10 years old when I joined the school choir and then I entered a school singing competition, which I won. That’s when I realised that I had a singing voice.

Q: What kind of music are you keen on?
A: I love gospel music but any music that is soulful really touches me.

Q: Your mother is a gospel Queen. Why did it take you so long to expose yourself?
A: I want to build a name for myself. I am inspired by the fact that she worked very hard to get where she is and she has taught me to work for my own things. That is why I want to create my own name and gain some respect for myself. You always value something you work hard for. I value singing and understand that some of the best musicians are people who have life experiences to share, so I need to build my own career, follow my own path and tell my story.

Q: Are you following your mother’s footsteps?
A: It’s about creating my own footsteps. I am carrying the Malope name and representing it but I am my own person and would like to bring that side of the Malope name to the table. I will never be good enough if I follow in her footsteps; I can only be the best if I am myself. I will work very hard to uphold the Malope name though.

Q: What else are you busy with at the moment?
A: I run a business called Face of Fortune, we do events, image management, charity gigs and youth development initiatives. We started in Alexandra, trying to create opportunities for young people.

Q: Why do you think you have what it takes to be a Popstar?
A: The talent is very strong, everybody is great but we are all different. My business background puts me in a good position. I have knowledge of brand management, promotions and image management, so I think this puts me in an interesting position. For now I will give the best I have.

Noluthando’s mother won the Shell Road to Fame talent search in 1987. See if the daughter will follow her mother’s footsteps. Watch Popstars every Saturday at 6:05pm on e.tv.

In 2006, he persuaded a solo career that has spawned three acclaimed albums; Restoration, Rival and In the Holy of the Holies. We caught up with Keke ahead of his much-awaited tour of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia.

Q: What do you think makes people love you so much?
A: [laughs] I think the main reason is that I sing songs that relate to many people in Southen Africa. I try to break language boundaries by composing songs that are easy to listen to and make people understand where I’m coming from and going.

Q: How is your latest album doing, in terms of sales?
A: Not so good, compared to the previous albums. My albums generally sell over 10 000 units in the first three months but this one has taken about four months to sell 10 000 units. But I’m happy because we realised that it was just a marketing problem, we fixed the problem and now sales are picking up.

Q: What are you working on at present?
A: I’m working on a national talent search that targets all the undiscovered musicians in South Africa. The main aim is to develop local talent and monitor it because we have many talented artists in S.A who don’t know how to enhance their careers once they’ve released an album. So this initiative will discover artists, help them record and monitor their careers.

Q: That sounds great! When can we expect it?
A: Very soon, everything is going smoothly. We’re currently looking for a sponsor because this is a very big project. So once we finalise that, we will be ready to launch.

Q: Good luck on the awesome initiative. Are you planning to release another album soon?
A: Yes. I’m working on my new album and will be released in June next year (2011).

Q: How do you feel about the current state of gospel music?
A: It’s growing and I’m impressed with the new talent coming up in the industry. The talent is there, we just have to find better ways of promoting our music.

Q: I’m sure your talent search will play a major part in solving that. Do you have any message for your fans?
A: Definitely. I thank all my fans for the support and I want to say to my young fans; don’t be afraid, we have the ability.

A former Joyous Celebration member, Avis has worked with some of the best musicians in the industry, including Judith Sephuma, Keke, Thandiswa Mazwai, Malaika, Colea, and Bheki Mseleku. She has won a Glory Award for Best Female Vocalist in Swaziland and toured France and Malawi.

Avis has also made her mark on television as a presenter on One Gospel, a channel on DSTv. The 29-year old also showcases her vocal prowess doing jingles, voice-overs and singing the national anthem.

We caught up with Avis to discuss her career and challenges in the industry.

Q: Is there a particular Bible verse or piece of inspiration that serves as a pillar of your music ministry?
A: Yes, Isaiah 54v17 (No weapon formed against me will prosper). I also believe that this talent that God has given me must be used for the furtherance of the gospel.

Q: During your lengthy tenure in the industry, what have you learnt about success?
A: One just needs to be true to oneself, be genuine and worship God wholeheartedly. Matthew 6v33 says we should seek first the kingdom of God and everything else will be added to us. I know it is easier said than done but that is God’s principle.

Q: You worked with Joyous Celebration for 4 years and you are on your own now. Did that affect you in any way?
A: This is a tough industry but by God’s grace I’m still standing. I have two albums now, my debut being “Harvest” and the second being “Emnqamlezweni”. The two albums are still infiltrating the market and I believe my season to be noticed has arrived.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge you have faced in your career so far?
A: At times gigs are hard to come by and one is caught up in a limited space with regards to finances.

Q: When you think about the future, what do you perceive to be South African Music’s greatest challenge?
A: As South African artists, we need to believe in our God-given talent and exploit it fully. We should also aggressively market it abroad and not allow those from abroad to market their material locally more than we market our own.

Q: What are you currently working on?
A: I am currently doing the rounds in churches but I’m looking forward to performing at major concerts countrywide and doing my live debut recording this year.

Q: What else do you do?
A: Besides music I am currently studying Music at Central Johannesburg College.

Q: Any message for up-and-coming musicians?
A: Up-and-coming gospel artists should just be true to their calling and serve God wholeheartedly with their given talents.

Q: How do you feel about this accolade?
A: We feel really honoured to hold this title. We were totally blown away by the announcement that our album was the best this year.

Q: How does one qualify to be a member of this band?
A: They have to be a member of our church and in a relationship with Jesus Christ. We also look for a certain level of musicianship.

Q: Who writes your songs?
A: All our songwriters are from our worship team and we frequently meet to write songs as a team.

Q: How did you come up with the name Proxy?
A: To stand proxy means to stand on behalf of someone so we thought this was a great name for a worship band.

Q: What are you currently working on?
A: We are writing new songs and planning to record a live worship album next year.

Q: Which local musicians have you been listening to lately?
A: Our team really enjoys The Arrows and CJ.

Q: Where is Proxy performing this festive season?
A: We have an amazing Carol Service at our church on 20 December.

Q: How can Proxy fans get in touch with the band?
A: They can call me on 021 557 3948 or email us at info@proxyworship.com. We also have a website: www.proxyworship.com and facebook account: Proxy Worship.

Some people may have lost faith but not Banele, who continued to pray and rehearse his songs. In 2008, his prayers were answered when he met a dedicated Christian record label owner, Nanagolo Leopeng, who signed him and released his first studio album Ngibonga uJesu.

The album was released to critical acclaim, earning the 23 year old a trophy for Best Newcomer at the 2nd Crown Gospel Music awards. We caught up with Banele soon after the awards and asked him a few questions:

Q: What do you generally sing about?
A: I sing about our hope in God. He is my hope and He has carried me through a lot of ordeals, I believe He can do the same to anyone who lets Him.

Q: How did you promote this album?
A: We did a lot of free events and a lot of self-distribution of the album; we are hoping to have it in stores nationwide next year.

Q: What do you think about SA gospel music today?
A: It’s no doubt that Gospel Music is the largest genre in South Africa. It’s growing tremendously and also becoming diverse with many unique artists coming up.

Q: And how is your music going to compete with what’s going on?
A: My music is going to simply introduce people to Jesus and I believe he will do the work.

Q: Do you think new artists can make it in this genre?
A: Absolutely. This award says, “Yes, South Africa is ready for young talent”.

Q: What’s your impression of 2010?
A: 2010 is promising to be a great year for me. I will be on tour with Cell C as the winner of the Best Newcomer award. We also have some mega promotion events coming up, including the re-launch of my album early next year.

Dube was the most nominated musician at the prestigious SABC Gospel Music Awards which happened in Durban last week. He went on to win the Best Artist trophy and the coveted Lifetime Achievers award. Later that night, he joined fellow musicians and gospel music lovers at a glamorous after party where we tracked him down and asked him a few questions.

Q: What’s your impression of the night?
A: For me it’s been an awesome night, especially because I didn’t expect to win the Lifetime Achievers award.

Q: Were you not expecting it?
A: I have done a lot of things in my career that have attracted quite a lot of people, or let me say attention, however I wasn’t expecting it. The fact that I’m still on a journey and still trying to get there is why this award came as such a surprise to me.

Q: And there is still a lot more to do?
A: Yes. There is still a lot to do; you know I am thankful that the Lord gave me the tenacity to go through all the ups and downs in my career. I guess that’s exactly the reason why I won this Lifetime Achievers award – I’m really thankful.

Written by Eddie Hatitye

Eddie: Awesome performance….

Deborah: Thanks Eddie. How do you do?

Eddie: You’ve just proved that a lot of people love you. Why do you think they love you so much?

Deborah: They love me because of what I do; I always perform my own compositions. The songs I sing are my original compositions. And the message I present to them is always relevant.

Eddie: What are you currently working on?

Deborah: I am working on my celebration album, not gospel album but celebration album.

Eddie: Ok. Why the change?

Deborah: I’ve been going through different trials and tribulations lately,  last year I lost my mom, this year in May I lost my brother and two weeks ago I buried my father so I’m trying to be happy despite the pain. I know if I go to studio and sing gospel at this moment people will cry because of the things I will be talking about. You see, sometimes it’s just too hard for me. But around Easter next year, people should expect a full gospel album.

Eddie: Where can we find you performing this summer?

Deborah: I have a lot of shows lined up – Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town, everywhere. I also have shows in Nigeria and Kenya towards the end of this year.

Eddie: And how is the response outside South Africa?

Deborah: It’s great; it actually feels as if I’m performing in South Africa.

How is the latest album doing?

Lundi: It’s been doing great and I am very pleased with it.

What are you doing to promote it?

Lundi: Well, we did a lot of promotional events last year but right now I’m busy with other things and I cannot fully commit to massive promotions.

Which other things are you doing?

Lundi: I am currently helping other artists and also helping impoverished children in the country and I have also committed myself to furthering my education.

You have collaborated with a lot of musicians to date, is there anyone you still wish to work with?

Lundi: I’d love to work with Rebecca Malope again. I really wish to do a full album with her in the future.

Are you planning to release another album soon?

Lundi: Yes, that’s the idea and I’m very happy that everything is going according to plan. My next album will be released early next year.

What would you say has been your best album so far?

Lundi: All of them, I always put my best effort and I love how they all sound.

Any message for your fans?

Lundi: I’m very grateful. They’ve been with me all these years and I really appreciate it.

Who is Zodwa?

I was born in Port Elizabeth and started singing with a gospel group called The Real Christian Voices before I moved to pursuer my solo career in Johannesburg in 1997. It wasn’t as easy as I had anticipated but I finally met S’fiso Ncwane in 1999 and that’s when my career really changed. I started as backing vocalist and this got me a lot of exposure to also work with other well known musicians like Vuyo Mokoena, Deborah Fraser and Lundi Tyamara. I released my debut solo titled ‘Zodwa’in 2003. After that, I’ve released four albums, the latest titled “My Life’

What inspired you to do this album?

I was devastated after loosing my family. I was under a lot of pain but I realised that the Lord was testing my faith and strength so I remained strong and this album expresses my undying love for the Lord. The album is about healing and keeping your faith in God.

What’s your favorite track on the album?

I love them all you know but perhaps I can say “Under the Blood” because it makes me understand what’s going on in my life; it’s like my pillar of strength.

What can we expect from you in the future?

I’m now working as a record producer and currently in studio with my first gospel artist so am likely going to focus more in producing my own artists but will obviously keep on releasing more albums in the future.

How can your fans get in touch with you?

Firstly, let me say I was touched with the support I got from my fans during my trials and tribulations. It was helpful and I really appreciate it. Thanks a lot and keep on supporting me. My email is zodwatwecu@webmail.co.za