Gospel singer opens up about tough times

GOSPEL singer Ronnie L’s new album is from his soul to the people of Mzansi.

The project, Rabela: A Journey of Restoration, is about everything he faced during the peak of Covid-19.

Ronnie, whose real name is Ronnie Mulaudzi (40) from Venda in Limpopo, wrote about losing everything and starting from scratch.

“This project is close to my heart. It’s my second album, and I called it Rabela, meaning pray in TshiVenda because it came at a time when we were losing a lot. It was during the peak of Covid-19, and we lost family members. I lost one too, but during that time, I lost a marriage too. It was quite a hurtful time, and the only thing I remembered from my mum at the time was, ‘Never ever put away God and throw away prayer because it’s always going to strengthen you during tough times’.

“And I think it’s what I saw. Going through Covid, we retrenched some staff at work then there was a divorce. I had to start everything from scratch. I remember thinking the one time after meeting lawyers with my ex-wife, I realised I didn’t have a home to go to. I needed to find a place to stay. I didn’t want to fight because I wanted my children to be happy, and I was content with that. But it was tough,” he said.

The singer said he hoped people would learn from this project.

“It was a painful time. Depression came, and the only thing that kept me going was prayer. I hope people can take from my learnings and experience that sometimes when you don’t believe in God because things have turned badly, you can look to a spiritual, non-physical being to keep going,” he said.

Ronnie is also a radio presenter on Kofifi FM, a community radio station based in Westbury, Joburg.

“Radio only came into the picture four years ago, during Covid-19. During that time, there was a community radio station that was looking for presenters as backup, and I put my hand up. We were then put in the deep end of the ocean with no experience. And we were managing the desk, so there was a lot of learning.

“Kofifi FM approached me two years into that station, and they told me they had a slot on Sunday morning. They told me I could have my own show and produce it in terms of content and direction I wanted to take. And I thought that it would be perfect. It’s called Rhythm of Praise. It helps uncover up-and-coming gospel artists and engage with the more experienced ones,” Ronnie said.