Vhengedza replaced Anne Nhira to star as Vimbai – a character that opened a series of opportunities for the Mutare-based actress. Since her lead role, she has starred in a cocktail of film and theatre productions.
“I learnt my art in primary school. I always got roles, whether it was singing, acting or public speaking, but I think my love for music came first, she said. “I decided to take music seriously first before film. But then, I guess God had another way of seeing things and film came first, publicly.”
Apart from Studio-263, Vhengedza has starred in numerous film productions including Lobola, Bitter Pill, Contagious and theatre productions such as Wedding Day. “What I love about my music is that I write about my own stuff. This is me, I’m putting myself on paper, putting what I see – it’s a reflection of my emotions. There are no interruptions. As for film, someone writes a script, you might like the storyline but there might be a few things that you do not totally agree with. But you can’t say anything. So you just have to follow through, acting emotions. Trying to express what someone else is trying to tell,” said Bab, a strong Christian.
She realised her musical prowess after she auditioned for a film at a Christian Film Festival. She ended up getting a singing role instead and had to perform at the festival launch. “When I was singing everyone kept screaming and screaming. It was amazing. That was the turning point for me,” she said.
But her music journey failed to take off. “I tried every big name (producer) but it was the genre of music. I was trying to sing stuff that was not in me until I embraced my Christian faith. And I’m proud to be a gospel Afro-jazz artist,” she said.
The Mutare based artist finally recorded her debut album 12 years down the line, which was released in May titled Spirit, Emotions and Tears. She is already working on her follow up album with a Kenyan artist.
Post published in: Entertainment