GIVE, the next big thing in the gospel industry

Initiated from a gap realised in the local gospel music industry and a common monetary cry, nurtured, and executed from sheer passion and commitment, Gospel Inspired Veterans Empire (GIVE) premiered and launched December 2019 and set to resume September 2022.

Speaking to Celebrity World, founder of GIVE, twenty-nine-year-old Tumisang Dick says having experienced first-hand the pinch and frustration of financial constraint to record and pursue a career in the music industry, he came up with an initiative to help artists record their work under an all-expenses paid live recording session targeting upcoming gospel artists.

Dick says that to scout for participants he published an advert on his Facebook page upon which inaugural participants Abed, Psalmist Kevin Baleseng, Natash Chamilane, Victor Skora Trio a group also founded by Dick and himself featured on the first GIVE live recording which they dubbed GIVE 2019 Humble Beginnings.

He further says on their first recording, Rhonda Visuals offered a hundred percent visuals and videography sponsorship as well as a partial recording sponsorship by Colmus MusicPro.

“Ticket sales also helped with logistical preparations, and I also financed the show from my savings and the proceeds of my photography beauty and fashion design business which I run along with my wife who was then my girlfriend,” he said.

Speaking on the outcome of the first GIVE live recording, he says they submitted one of their songs Madi a Kwana which has since been playing on Botswana Television while Covid 19 pandemic hit just when they were about to take off with marketing and distribution of the then recorded full album and singles of the featured artists. However, he says having piloted and done with production, he is confident that Gospel Inspired Veteran Empire is a good initiative and capable of giving many upcoming artists a well-deserved break in the industry.

Moreover, Dick says the second GIVE live recording was underway and had already started scouting for this year’s participants with the event slated for September 2022.

He says he has put out adverts calling for free auditions. Additionally, he says he is also working on soliciting sponsors for the show and cordially invites industry stakeholders to come onboard and make this year’s event a success.

“Previously, I was the one who recorded a full album while other artists recorded singles, this year, the spot for a full album recording is reserved for a deserving artist while other five artists will get to record their singles.”

Interestingly when answering a question about the concept of the show, he shared that the GIVE concept is ahead of its time as it paves way for gospel veterans and great artistry of the future, highlighting that though that is the case, he is keen on working with veterans and living gospel artists of today.

On the part of his background with the local industry, Dick said that before GIVE, he already had a YouTube channel -Tumisang Dick, where he recorded substandard music videos with his personal computer in year 2014 citing that in the same year, he founded TRIO a gospel group who were backup singers on GIVE 2019 live recording.

His big break would come in years 2016 and 2017 where he auditioned and made part of The Melody Gospel show and was eliminated in the top five of the competition.

He narrates that he met his manager, Mrs Kushata Melanie Schroeder who was the judge on the Melody Gospel Show and through her manager she made it possible to take his work to South Africa where he performed alongside PaulK, a celebrated gospel artist and got to perform in the presence of the Motsweding Fm crowd pullers Rev Tube and Brown Mosiapowa who gave positive feedback on his performance.

He also says that in 2017 through his manager Ms Schroeder, he later hosted a live recording show and the Motswedig fm co-hosts Rev Tube and Brown Mosiapowa were in attendance, he has also performed in Mafikeng by the invite of South African based Sipho Kekana who discovered him through his YouTube channel. He also said he has made rounds performing and ministering in various local church events.

In conclusion, he reiterated that his vision is to see GIVE award gospel artists having a platform to record, perform and take their music to the masses without a struggle.