Jonathan Wutawunashe
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Wutawunashe is a songwriter
, guitarist
, keyboard
player and producer
.
His whose lead has inspired many artists in Zimbabwe
, the Southern African region, and as far afield as the North Atlantic.
As leader of the Gospel
group Family Singers, his creativity spurred the new Zimbabwean Gospel genre into the limelight. With the release of the video for his wife Shuvai's ageless hit Nditorei, in which he produced, a new culture in the projection of the genre was born. Wutawunashe shot the footage and edited the video himself. His family belongs to a megachurch called Family of God church. His brother Andrew, referred to by church members as "Prophet", is the leader of the church which has branches all over the world, including Africa, Europe and the United States.
Nditorei, Tarira Nguva, Shelter and Ndasukwa have become iconic anthems thanks to the combination of Shuvai's trademark vocals, Jonathan's production skills and creativity with video.
Jonathan's own hits include:
The self-effacing Wutawunashe has several productions under his belt, which include African Praise, a praise medley for which he and Shuvai wrote many original songs and numerous albums featuring up-and-coming artists, as well as, of course, his group Family Singers. Since 1994, he has allowed Gospel artists to share his recording studio, which he pieced together over the years. With wife Shuvai, Jonathan earlier this year launched Gospel Bandstand, a TV show aimed at mentoring and showcasing new Gospel talent.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
player and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
.
His whose lead has inspired many artists in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, the Southern African region, and as far afield as the North Atlantic.
As leader of the Gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
group Family Singers, his creativity spurred the new Zimbabwean Gospel genre into the limelight. With the release of the video for his wife Shuvai's ageless hit Nditorei, in which he produced, a new culture in the projection of the genre was born. Wutawunashe shot the footage and edited the video himself. His family belongs to a megachurch called Family of God church. His brother Andrew, referred to by church members as "Prophet", is the leader of the church which has branches all over the world, including Africa, Europe and the United States.
Nditorei, Tarira Nguva, Shelter and Ndasukwa have become iconic anthems thanks to the combination of Shuvai's trademark vocals, Jonathan's production skills and creativity with video.
Jonathan's own hits include:
- Vana Vanokosha, which, apart from his popular version has been covered by other artists,
- Komborera,
- It's No Secret,
- To be a Christian,
- Glorious,
- Helele,
- Ndovimba,
- You Can't Fall, sung by Shuvai
The self-effacing Wutawunashe has several productions under his belt, which include African Praise, a praise medley for which he and Shuvai wrote many original songs and numerous albums featuring up-and-coming artists, as well as, of course, his group Family Singers. Since 1994, he has allowed Gospel artists to share his recording studio, which he pieced together over the years. With wife Shuvai, Jonathan earlier this year launched Gospel Bandstand, a TV show aimed at mentoring and showcasing new Gospel talent.