IF YOU thought being a musician was all glamour and no hard work, think again.
Gospel star Keleketso “Keke” Phoofolo and his Galaxy of the Stars choir spent gruelling hours yesterday perfecting their vocal pitches and harmonies in preparation for a live DVD and CD recording, set to take place at the Grace Bible Church in Pimville on June 25.
“People of Soweto should brace themselves… We are going to be bringing house-music dances and beats to the show… everyone must come dressed comfortably because we are going to get down. We are going to give them ‘ghetto gospel’ like nothing they’ve ever seen before,” said Keke, adding that 3 000 to 4 000 people were expected to attend.
“We’ll be performing close to 30 songs, which we have to fit into a two-hour show.”
The journey began in March this year when Keke, in partnership with The Star Soweto edition, set out to find undiscovered talent to introduce to the gospel industry through the recording.
Hundreds of singing hopefuls vying for a chance to realise their dreams and secure a spot in the choir travelled from all parts of Soweto and other nearby areas for the two rounds of auditions at the Bassline in Newtown.
Nompumelelo Mashele, Kedibone Maloka, Dinah Madua, Ruth Nyanokole, Cleorece Davids, Kifilwe Molokomme, Victoria Roberts, Merriam Mbambala, Nokuthula Jonas, Gugu Dlamini, Gcina Biyela, Dominion Adams, Mojalefa Mosia, Gift Muthanyi and Mangena Mpheqekaall made it to the final 15.
However, living their dreams is proving to be not as easy as it seemed, as rehearsals have been a true test of grit. Despite the intensity of these sessions, the team shared many jokes or laughed at the different pronunciations of certain words. “I am getting so much experience… Practice sessions have been hectic but… it’s really fun because the others are so relaxed and are nice people,” said Mangena.
Tickets are R150 for the VIP section and R100 for the back seats, and are available at Computicket. - VUYO MKIZE