Amazing Voices: What a performance by The Unveiled The Unveiled rocking the stage on Sunday

Melissa Mpofu, Showbiz Editor
The Unveiled, one of the two groups representing Zimbabwe at the Old Mutual Amazing Voices competition have fellow countryman, Ammara Brown to thank for Sunday’s performance as she selected the song that brought out the best in them.

In the show’s previous episodes, the group had been performing fairly but Sunday’s performance was superb and almost saw them clinch the week’s Golden Voices nod. They came in second and missed the Golden Voice by 0,1 percent showing how stiff the competition was. South African group, Hush once again emerged tops.

But either way, The Unveiled’s impressive performance landed the group on the competition’s top four.

For Sunday’s episode that was aired on DStv’s Mzansi Magic and Zambezi Magic, the remaining five groups performed tracks that were carefully selected by the show’s judges. The judges went on to coach the groups leading to improved performances by some groups.

For The Unveiled, a versatile group that hails from Harare, Ammara chose The Danko Medley by Samthing Soweto, Mzansi Youth Choir and ShaSha. From the introduction of the vibrant song, it was clear this group had been removed from their comfort zone as they had been more inclined to relaxed gospel songs, some of which were not quite bringing out the best in them.

With a coach like Ammara, it was given that there was going to be a lot of dancing and for sure, the group members surprised judges and viewers alike with their dance moves that were on point.

Watching the rehearsals, one could tell that Ammara — the barefoot goddess made the group feel comfortable as she started off by removing her shoes so that she could express herself fully. She shared her music experience with them as well as her fears on stage so as to show The Unveiled members that they were not alone in this.

“Let’s get comfortable. Let me tell you something, I cringe when I listen to my own recordings and you’re going to have those moments and it is ok. You’re here to grow and no matter what, you’re still performing to millions of people, that’s whom you’re aiming for,” Ammara told the group during rehearsals.

Thereafter, they got down to serious business and the result on Sunday was magical! The group took ownership of the song and stage as if they owned them, something the judges acknowledged.

Said a visibly impressed Ammara after the group’s performance: “This was actually the first time in a long time that I saw you guys have fun on stage. I was smiling from ear to ear as there were moments of confidence.

“You shone and this was so much better from previous performances. I’m so proud of you, good job.”

Another judge, Vusi Nova who, for the first time on the show, danced to the group’s performance said: “This was my first time to dance on the show guys. It was really fun, I enjoyed it.”

Commented Trigmatic: “You guys brought it all. You spiced it up well and it was nice. It was a whole vibe.”

Shockingly, or perhaps not, while others heaped praises on the group, judge Fila Tuju, who rarely ever has anything nice to say, instead, bluntly told the group that they would not win the competition.

“Let’s be honest. You guys are gonna hate me, but I’ll still sleep at night. There’s no chance that you guys are going to win this competition, not because you’re not good, but you’re just not going to win,” Tuju simply said.

Fortunately, show advisor, Zwai Bala comforted the group.

“You guys did well. You can dance, trust me. Most of us here can’t. Don’t give up the hard work, you guys deserve to be here.”
In an interview yesterday, The Unveiled who were on cloud nine said it was a privilege to have been coached by Ammara.

“It was quite amazing especially considering that she’s from our home country. She gave us lots of tips and taught us a few techniques,” said the group.

Commenting on their performance, the group’s spokesperson, Ashley Mapfumo said: “It was a fire performance. We were taken out of our comfort zone and the judges’ comments encouraged us and gave us a hint of things we need to work on.”

Considering that the group is from Harare, a predominantly Shona-speaking city, it was intriguing to see them fluently sing in isiZulu. For a moment, it felt as if it was not them singing.

“Initially, we thought we knew how to sing in isiZulu until we got told that we were butchering the enunciation in particular. But being exposed to a lot of South African music, we didn’t struggle that much,” explained Mapfumo.

Also outstanding were the SA dance moves which the group said were courtesy of one of their members who is a choreographer.

“We have a group member who’s in charge of choreography so they bring their ideas and we help each other. We also get assistance from the Amazing Voices performance coach.”

On the group making top four, Mapfumo said: “We’re so excited and what makes us happier is that both groups from Zimbabwe are in the top four. It’s a proud moment for us.

“However, missing the Golden Voice when we really needed it so much was heartbreaking, but we’re glad we came back to the top.”

It was definitely The Unveiled’s chance to shine on Sunday because, after their performance, they returned on stage for a collaborative performance with Nigerian contenders, 121 Selah who have been nailing their performances each week. Together, they performed a rendition of Kirk Franklin’s Lean on me. This was another amazing performance that showed how the groups had matured over the weeks.

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