Arguably one of the most soulful voices in Zimbabwean jazz and with decades of experience to back that up, Prudence Katomeni-Mbofana, is a real gem. Joining the Avondale Primary School choir at the age of 8 might be one of the best moves she made. She is now a force to reckon with and undoubtedly a legend.
Prudence was featured on Albert Nyathi’s hit track Senzeni Na when she was only a Form Four pupil at Girls High School. This came after her debut movie role in a Zimbabwean feature film More Time. This film garnered a lot of awards, some of which were Prudence’s individual awards. A star had been born and after Senzeni Na. A career was born.
She then joined a band called The Vice after finishing her A’Levels in which she was the youngest member. This was her growing place as it propelled her to a band she made home, Jazz Invitation. They went on to belt hits like BP, whose video received a lot of airplay on ZBC. Prudence was now revered as a star. Perfoming in prominen European cities after the launch of their album The Rehearsal Room.
She however took music a step further by attaining a Bachelors of Arts degree in Jazz Music at the Zimbabwe College of Music in 2009. She started a journey as a solo artist in 2011 after being with Jazz Invitation for more than a decade. Her self titled first solo album, Prudence, was well received as it had hits like Stronger, Joy and Anengei.
She is married to popular radio personality Comfort Mbofana. She currently spends some of her time lecturing at Music Crossroads Academy. We celebrate this talented woman who showed that determination is the key. She started her creative journey at a young age and she made it. Literally!
