He might not be having a distinctive posture, but this former bare-footed village herd boy is making his mark in the South African gospel fraternity. The 27-year-old Phumudzo Nthatheni hails from Khubvi, north of Thohoyandou. He uses Bisha as his stage name and he leaves gospel music lovers crying for more wherever he performs.

Although his first album, Ri a vha losha which was released in 2010, is still a hit with his followers, the prolific artist has just released his second album, Not by mighty. “This album is a culmination of hard work and it is a gift to all my fans who have been supporting me throughout my music career,” he said.

Bisha said he started singing at an early age. “Church members realised that I was gifted when I used to sing in the church choir in 1996. I just sang for fun, but everyone just talked about my beautiful voice. That is the reason why I decided to take music seriously.”

He added that he was also encouraged to sing by local famous gospel artist, Hani Mutele who also happens to be his neighbour. “Hani is my role model and we used to emulate him during his rehearsals at home. I told myself that one day I will be like him and that is where I gathered courage to take music seriously.”

Bisha’s latest album include soothing tracks like Ri do imba hosanna, Ri a u livhuwa, A thi nga humeli murahu, Ro I wana ndila, Makube Njala, Ngi zom’bonga ngani, We worship you and Tshifhambano. Recorded, marketed and distributed by Dzinambini Music in Pretoria, the album has started to receive airplay in local and regional radio stations.

For public performance and CD orders, Bisha can be contacted on 071 333 9605.