An academic exploration of the guitar at two different universities inspired and motivated Muvhuso Moses Nyatheli to follow the rhythm of his heartbeat whenever he composed his songs.

“The music bug hit me in my early high school years and I knew for sure that my destiny was written right within the notes and rhyme,” said Moses, who originally resided at Lukau in Mutale.

After completing his matric, he enrolled to study guitar lessons at the University of Venda. However, he soon switched to the University of Pretoria, and finally did a Grade 8 in music, majoring in classical guitar. "I began my music in my early 20s when I released my first album with Bulayo Maswime in 1999,” he stated. The project was titled No Short Cuts".

The break he took after recording No Short Cuts served him well since he gained experience to write songs in the process. “Other than working in churches, I also served as producer for many artists,” he said.

Moses played the roles of music director and singer in different churches across the country. Soon he had gained experience in both writing, singing and producing.

He also performed at weddings and did backing vocals for live sessions. At some stage he started to receive invitations from across the country to perform with his guitar. He had shared the stage with some of South Africa’s big names in the industry, including DJ Tira, Doctor Malinga and Zahara.

In 2011, he was asked to write four songs for the play Ilizwi. The play was directed by the well-known international director Ingrid Wylde. Ilizwi is a musical tribute to South African musicians, among them Miriam Makeba. “Although all the music in the play was cover music, I was asked to compose original songs,” he said.

He decided in 2013 to go to the studio to work on a long-awaited project. This project was completed late last year, and it's a soulful gospel album titled Unashamed. The album boasts 11 tracks. “Unashamed is my life expression,” he said. “The sound of my journey, my faith.”

Unashamed is available from good music stores across the country. Nyatheli can be phoned on 071 120 5830 or [email protected]. He is also active on Facebook.