Popular local gospel musician and guitarist Israel Mbonyi says that the secret of creating great music is by singing from true inspiration and not striving to make hits. Mbonyi said this while speaking about his new song “Urwandiko” translated to mean ‘a letter’. According to Mbonyi, the inspiration of the song came in the times of Covid-19 when he thought of how good the Lord has been to him and all the battles he fought on his behalf. “I have a notebook where I write everything I remember that God has done for me. Keeping in mind that there are even unseen battles that God fights on our behalf, from there I got an inspiration and composed the song,” he told The New Times. Part of the song, says “I take a letter to God, so He reads all the thanksgiving written on it, because they can’t fit in the song or words of my mouth.” ‘Urwandiko’ is also the title of Mbonyi’s third album to be released soon in a virtual concert. Gospel artiste Israel Mbonyi visited The New Times head office on Wednesday, September 30. Photo: Craish Bahizi. The album is made up of 10 singles that include, “Nkwiye kurara iwawe”, “Nzaririmba”, “Nturi wenyine”, “Urwandiko”, and others that will be out in the near future. Born Israel Mbonyicyambu, the artiste’s songs are among the most played by both religious and non-religious people since the time he started his singing career. “When you strive to make hits, it is as if it is a project that will end at a given period. But when you sing from true inspiration, your work lasts forever,” he replied when asked what secret he uses to make his songs adorable. Live performance - a dream come true Mbonyi has so far released 20 tracks, and many of his videos are recorded while doing live performances. “I can say that doing live performance videos has been a dream come true because I always want people to feel a moment of praise and worship whenever I am singing, and a live performance provides that opportunity,” he explained. Concerning future plans, the Gospel artist said that he aims to take his music to the international level, with the help of many songs in English and collaboration songs with international artists, all of which are in the pipeline. He highlighted that some of the collaboration songs are underway already, though he did not mention the names of the artists. Advice to upcoming artistes According to Mbonyi, upcoming artistes, especially those who do Christian music, should prioritize personal fellowship with God and reading the word of God if they want be successful in their music career He also noted that fame should be well managed. “Discipline will sustain your career. Don’t let fame lie to you that you’re too important than others. Keep in mind that you’re serving people and therefore be humble.” He said that a good artiste must be informed about everything they see around them and talk with different people, because from there they may get inspiration. “You also need an excellent team if you want to do good music,” Mbonyi emphasized.
