Sinethemba's album grounded

MBABANE – Sinethemba Dlamini’s debut album has been grounded due to lack of finances.

The singer won last year’s ‘Gospel Challenge Talent Search’ competion, which took the line of ‘Idols’.

Dlamini was in South Africa recording the album between June and August last year. She was supposed to release the project before the end of 2008, but it is still to hit the shelves because, according to Dlamini’s Manager, Mduduzi Hleta, the E60 000 recording deal she won could not cover all costs.

Dlamini won the recording deal courtesy of South African Sizwe Zakho Music Productions, who were one of the sponsors of the competition whose finals were held at the Convention Centre early last year.

"We need extra cash for printing the CD sleeves, pressing and other things. So far we have been forced fork out money from our own pockets," he said, adding that there was hope that the album would finally be released.

Asked how the E60 000 was exhausted when it was understood that it was supposed to take the project right up to the end, Hleta said the money covered mostly the recording of the album. "Prices also went up sometime last year," he said.

Hleta assured that the album would be released. He said releasing it last month would not have been a good idea because there were top artists with albums that could have overshadowed Dlamini’s. He said the best time for its release was now so that it could do well by the Easter holidays.

"We want to distribute the album in South Africa as well, but we are still to research on the kind of market for her music," Hleta said.

Meanwhile, Dlamini said she understood that there were delays in releasing the album, adding that her manager was the right person to shed light on the matter.

She graduated from the University of Swaziland with a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communications last year.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: