Zabron Singers: The melodious voices behind 'Sweetie Sweetie', Mkono wa Bwana

Zabron singers [Courtesy]

Gospel singer Guardian Angel and the love of his life Esther Musila have been a social media trending topic since their wedding about two weeks ago.

As critics made snide remarks about the couple’s age difference, the two ignored the noise and excitedly walked down the aisle with song and dance. Their choice celebration song was Sweetie Sweetie, a gospel number.

Like Guardian Angel and Esther Musila, Zabron Singers, a popular choir from Tanzania has taken the internet by storm with the November 2020 melodic wedding tune whose views stand at  23 million on YouTube.

“Sweetie sweetie baby haikuwa rahisi tufike leo hii…Walisema mchana, usiku watalala. Bado tunapendana, leo tunaoana,” Guardian Angel sang, as he danced with his heartthrob.

The song could easily have been an answer to naysayers on their relationship. They have come under intense scrutiny over their age gap with Esther, 52, being 20 years his senior.

The song Sweetie Sweetie is quite popular in Kenya, perhaps even more than in Tanzania.

It is themed around endurance during hard times and reflecting on God’s grace during such moments. It is a song of triumph that calls for a celebration and thanksgiving.

The Zabron Singers members are youthful and are easily likable.

The choir has introduced a gospel song that takes us back to the golden days when choirs were cherished.

From Mwanza to Arusha, Dodoma, Nairobi, Machakos to Eldoret, gospel choirs would fill churches, drive masses in public meetings and rule the airwaves on Sundays. 

Even though it is the Sweetie Sweetie song that has given Zabron Singers its big breakthrough, the group has been around for a while.

Among the biggest releases is the album Mkono wa Bwana that has Sweetie Sweetie, Nakutuma Wimbo, Imenigharimu, Nawapenda, Nitaweza, Sikiachi Tena and Sio Bure.

Zabron Singers [Courtesy]

Other songs are Hujanitenga, Lushiku, Nitasubiri and Mpiga Kinanda.

Last year, the group did a Kikuyu rendition of their Mkono wa Bwana, alongside Evelyn Wanjiru.

Many of the Zabron Singers’ members come from one family while the rest are family friends.

The lead singers in Sweetie Sweetie, Victoria, Jamila, Japheth and the group leader Joseph come from the Zabron family.

Joseph says the siblings grew up in a Christian setting — a family that used to sing together.

Their father, Zabron was a composer and a church leader.

“When we were in high school, we went to a studio and recorded a song. We didn’t have money and had to borrow from people so as to pay for studio time. The recording was so bad that we were even ashamed of releasing the song. We almost gave up,” says Japheth, who is the group’s tutor.

Two years later, in 2012, they went to the studio to record the album Nawakumbuka.

He says that it has been a long journey for the group to get where it is now and that is why they named their latest album Mkono wa Bwana.