Miracle’s magic grips Lilongwe
Despite watching performances by veterans in the gospel music industry that included King James Phiri, Ethel Kamwendo Banda and Thoko Katimba, the audience at Lilongwe’s Sheaffer International Conference marquee remained impatient on Sunday afternoon.
They jeered each time an artist was called to perform on stage just because it was not Miracle Chinga, daughter to the departed gospel songstress Grace.
They even jostled with police as they could not wait longer to see the youngster, launching her mother’s album Esther, jump on stage for her headlining performance.
Even the guest of honour at the event, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Esther Mcheka Chilenje got a share of such impatience as some patrons swamped her when they jumped on stage.
When such an impatient wait finally ended, Miracle—currently waiting for Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations results—went straight to business.
Donning a chitenje mix dress and high-heeled shoes, the youngster performed one of her mother’s famous tracks, Palibe Bwenzi, before dishing out four other tracks from the new album.
The patrons scrambled to get a closer glimpse; no wonder, they swamped her, giving her no chance to manoeuvre.
Her energetic dance as she sang reminded patrons of her late mother and her high-pitched voice tore through the marquee, sending waves that covered distances.
During a break, which saw Chilenje announcing that she had contributed K200 000 to the album, Miracle took advantage to decorate herself and assume the role of her mum.
She returned into the hall donning a yellow head-wrap and a matching yellow-topped and pink-bottomed dress and glittering high-heeled shoes, prompting the crowd to shout “akufanana ndi mayi ake [she looks like her mum].”
This time, she dished out Ndzaulula, Mgetsemani and Wayalula.
Though it was around 8:30pm, some fans still wanted more from the youngster while others looked impressed with what they saw.
“All I can say is Miracle is fire; it is Miracle time. God took away Grace for us to have Miracle. Let us support her,” said an Area 25 gospel fan, Mercy Banda.
Fans might have felt they saw Grace in Miracle, but the youngster’s voice makes her totally different from her mother.
After launching in Lilongwe, which followed the launch in Blantyre on September 11, Miracle takes the launch of Esther to Mzuzu this coming Sunday. n
