Rhoda J riding high on the music waves
She came, sang and she’s conquering the airplay with vigour and extra bravado.
Woman of the moment, silky-voiced Rhoda J, real name, Rhoda-Hanna Jedegwa is the fastest new entrant into music to ride the waves higher than any new music act in the history of Malawi music.
And Malawi’s music great and royalty, Lucius Banda has declared that: “She’s the next big thing to happen to Malawi.”
Rhoda J, who on Monday last week, 1st November 2021 released her career launching song and video, a remake of Nthawi, in which she is featuring Malawi’s kaleidoscopic music legend, the iconic Lucius Banda has become an overnight music sensation in Malawi and beyond the borders.
The South African-based songstress has won many a heart with her beautiful soft-notes but glossily embossed in high-pitch voice and her song is attracting a lot of attention among music lovers.
Rhoda J is currently enjoying massive airplay on the airwaves as well being the most watched music video accumulating close to 20, 000 views in just under five days – a feat no any new musician has achieved.
Some will argue that Nthawi is a popular song and that it is obvious that it was going to blow up but the fact of the matter is that Rhoda J’s touch and ear pleasing voice to the song has completely changed the dynamics of the song and the fact that Lucius Banda gave the song an oomph make it the tune no one would stay away from.
In an interview with Nyasa Times, Rhoda J who by profession is a beautician and owns a beauty parlour in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Oasis Beauty Spot and Parlour said never expected the song to get such a huge reception considering that she is a new up-and-coming artiste in the mainstream music industry.
She said: ” When I decided, I was going to do the song Nthawi, I knew the task was huge but I told myself that I was just gonna do what I needed to do because I love the song, so I had to give my all.
“However, everything changed when Sir Lucius Banda after listening to the sample agreed to feature in the song and it was at point that I realised that it was going to be hard. I have always idolised Soldier since I was a little kid and to think that I was going to stand side by side to sing with him was a dream come true,” she said.
She said she surprised herself with the way she handled the situation; firstly because Nthawi is one of the hardest songs to sing and secondly to sing such a hard song with my legendary idol who also happens to be the composer of the song.
“Before singing the song, Sir Lucius Banda took me through how he came up with the song and he is so emotionally attached to the song.
“He told me that he actually wrote the song in prison inspired by real time life experience and that song also resonates with my life story and therefore, I got emotionally hooked too,” said Rhoda J.
Rhoda J said she is currently been bombarded with congratulatory messages and words of encouragement from across the globe and that she is finding it so hard to adapt to her new life in which she is getting a barrage of messages.
She said: ” I would like to thank everyone for the support and I am grateful. I don’t take everything for granted. I will repay their support with good music.
“I know people out there are wondering what else I will do after singing a remake of Lucius Banda’s song and I want to say it here and now that Rhoda J is here to stay and more music is on the way.”
Rhoda J who recorded the Nthawi remix at Weapons of Peace Records with Pon G on the producer’s board has several songs including I wanna Know, a song tipped to also take Malawi and beyond the borders by storm.
“I love music and I promise to give out my everything to the people. For me, music is a calling and my passion,” she said.
‘Next big thing’
In a separate interview with Nyasa Times, Malawi’s most successful musician of all time, Lucius Banda remarked about Rhoda J.
“Singing shoulder to shoulder with Rhoda J was euphoric. She is so passionate about music and she very organised, talented and above all else very professional.
“When she opened her mouth to sing, my heart sank and I was like wow. Where has this lady been all this while – Nthawi is a very difficult song to sing but the way she sang it, got me some goosebumps – this lady is super talented and she is the next big thing of Malawi music,” said Lucius Banda who has 20 albums under his belt and many singles.
Rhoda J is a professional versatile and silky voiced musician who is formally known as Rhoda Jedegwa.
Rhoda J is a Malawian born singer, composer and songwriter and is currently based in Johannesburg, South Africa and she is not just a pretty face with a good singing voice, she is also a philanthropist and a humanitarian.
She first hit the music echelons as a professional music artist in 2020 she dished out her debut song, newly embarked in her music career in 2020 with her first debut song, Mulinane Cholinga.
During that period, Rhoda J was known with the name, Ghetto Worshipper, as she then was only doing gospel music genre.
In 2021 she bounced back on the music scene but this time with a mission – to establish herself as one of the country’s music royalty as she believed that she has a space in the industry.
She rebranded herself and changed her name from Ghetto Worshiper to Rhoda J.
then later changed her name to Rhoda J. As she continues to expend & explore her talent with the help of Paul Bandas Amayi Zikomo, and she is currently working on her debut album.
Some people work so hard, oozing sweat, blood and tears to reach to the stars but for Rhoda J it has been a fastest roller coaster that she has ridden and for her it is all God who is making the impossible, possible and so quick.
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