AFRO Soul musician MJ Sings says the need to perfect his album’s production forced him to postpone the scheduled launch.
The album launch for Umuzi was slated for August 12 at the Bulawayo theatre.
In a communique, MJ Sings said he wants to meet high standards and deliver the best for his fans.
“We regret to inform you that the release of the upcoming MJ Sings Umuzi album has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. We understand that this news may disappoint our fans and partners who have been eagerly anticipating the album's release, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused," part of the communique reads.
"We want to ensure that the album meets our high standards and deliver the best possible listening experience to our fans. Therefore, we believe it is essential to take the necessary time without compromising its quality.”
The artiste and his management said a new release date and launch will be announced in due course.
“For all those who had purchased tickets, they are still eligible for the next concert, but if they wish to claim the ticket monies, refunds will be available," said the statement.
"We appreciate the unwavering support and understanding shown by our fans throughout this process. We assure you that your patience will be rewarded with a phenomenal album that we are immensely proud of. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to sharing our music with you soon.”
MJ Sings had only released four songs from the album as a sample to the full album. Amongst the four songs are Infinity, Nami, Konke and Ikula, a rendition of Majaivana’s old hit song.
MJ Sings had to ask for permission from the United States- based artiste.
“The whole idea started funny, I met someone from Sonny Music who asked me who influenced me and I told him Majaivana whose sound that I grew up to," he said.
"She encouraged me to do a rendition of his songs and gave me the example of Chris Brown and Burna Boy, that’s how I looked for Majaivana.”
MJ Sings said Majaivana gave him the blessings to do the song after a long search.
“It was hard to find him, but Albert Nyathi connected me to Majaivana. I had recorded the song and I sent it to him, he was impressed about the sound and that was motivation to me," he said.
"From there on I have maintained a positive mindset and kept the words that he told me to my heart.
"He was also impressed by the way we did it because it was a proposal that also had split sheets outlined that if the song was to make money he also get paid as the author that’s why his name is also part of the credits.”
Born Mncedisi Jeremiah Ncube, the singer is riding high after self-organising the debut edition of the Spring Fiesta Festival at the Art Gallery of Bulawayo.