Gospel songstress Lorna Chewere’s ‘Pansi Pano’ album finally released

* One track, a Christmas carol ‘Oonadi Mtima’ was released early December ahead of festive season

* ‘Pansi Pano’ is third album coming after another ‘Ndaima Nji’ released in February 2024 and her first ‘Monga Ndili’ in February 2023

By Duncan Mlanjira

The promised third album by Gospel songstress, Lorna Chewere, entitled ‘Pansi Pano’, is finally out, along with the single she released early last December, ‘Oonadi Mtima’, a Christmas carol ahead of the 2024 festive season.

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The album comes after two others, each released one year apart — ‘Ndaima Nji’ (February 2024) and her first ‘Monga Ndili’ in February 2023.

She decided to release the track. ‘Pansi Pano’ to celebrate Christmas with her followers and her church folks. The Christmas carol is her own Chichewa composition of the great rendition of the Christmas carol; ‘O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant’.

It calls for Christians to praise the birth of Christ, which was a gift from God for Jesus Christ to save people from further sin.

Lorna went to work last year with True Tone Studio, managed by renowned performing artist Collen Ali, mixing the melodies and voice in liaison with Lorna’s husband Larry Chewere as co-producer.

She says it has taken six months for her to complete the album, whose instruments were done by Collen Ali while backing vocals were done by renowned musicians, Mukhala and Nyangulu.

She said she and her manager, husband Larry, are in the process of identifying the outlets in Mzuzu, Lilongwe and Blantyre or to contact herself to get the album at K5,000 only.

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The tracks are: 1. ‘Ofana Nanu’; 2. ‘Inu Nonse Ovutidwa’; 3. ‘Lokoma Dziko’; 4. ‘Mu Mtanda’; 5. ‘Muli Mphamvu’; 6. ‘Ndipita Kwathu’; 7. ‘Ndiri Ndi Mudzi Wina’; 8. ‘Ndiyimba Mumtima Mokondwa’; 9. ‘Oonadi Mtima’; 10. ‘Pansi Pano’ (album track title); and 11. ‘Poyambapo Ndakondwadi’.

Her second album, ‘Ndaima Nji’ (I stand firm) , was a success and that prompted her to produce yet another since the first in 2023, a 10-track ‘Monga Ndili’ (Just as I am), was equally a smash — with both enjoying plenty of radio airwaves.

She maintains that such positive response from gospel music enthusiasts is what motivates her to continue spreading the Word of God through music and this is not the last as she is thinking of her next project.

“These are sing-along songs and people should expect more,” she said. “I am also working on my own compositions, which will have 8 tracks — which will come out after releasing the fourth sing-along album.

“Currently, I’ve composed them in English and I am contemplating whether to translate them to Chichewa or leave them as they are,” she said.

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Her second album, ‘Ndaima Nji’ was packed with very soothing melody for the soul — also recorded and produced by Collen Ali’s True Tone Studio in Blantyre, in which Collen played the lead guitar while the backing vocals for the soothing ballads’ are by Bridget Makhula.

In their order of appearance the tracks are: ‘Ati Yesu Mbuyeyo’; ‘Idza Wolema’; ‘Konda Dzinalo la Yesu’; ‘Mundilandiletu’; ‘Ndaima Nji’ (album track title); ‘Ndilira Ine’; ‘Ndili Ndi Nyimbo’; ‘Pa Phiri Kalelo’; and ‘Zokoma Ndithu Nthawizi’.

The tracks are all from Hymn books but melodiously arranged in ballad style and sang in such a way that entices a listener to sing along having been familiar with the lyrics — as they are not just to be appreciated in sorrow and trepidation but in also in total happiness.

The tracks ‘Mundilandiletu’ and ‘Idza Olema’ are usually funeral dirges by Churches Women’s Guild but Lorna’s melody style is not that melancholy but a celebration of the gift of life as ‘Idza Olema’ says: “Amatisunga Yesu, Ambuye” (the Lord Jesus comforts us all).

‘Ndili ndi Nyimbo’ track goes:

“Ndili ndi nyimbo yoti Yesu ananditumuzira!

Nyimboyi ndi yoposa nyimbo zina poti ndi nyimbo ya chikondi!

Mtima mwanga muli nyimboyi, muli nyimboyi”.

The 10-track ‘Monga Ndili’ (Just as I am), has ‘Anasonkhana Pamodzi’; ‘Kodi Uli ndi Chisoni’; ‘Lero Lino Medley’; ‘Monga Ndili’; ‘Mzimu Woyera ndi Mtsogoleri’; ‘Pamtandapo Pamtanda’; ‘Paulendo Mdzikoli’; ‘Yesu Andiitana’; ‘Sindidziwatu Zamawa’ and ‘Yesu Bwenzi la Ochimwa’.

Collen Ali has played a huge part on Lorna’s music career, who inspired the artist to venture into serious solo gospel music after she encountered her singing at his True Tone Studio where her husband Larry was having guitar lessons.

Lorna Chewere

When she released her first album, Lorna disclosed that it was her father, late Lewis Kapeni, who used to encourage her to attend choir rehearsal sessions when she was young and she went on to be chorister at Nthemba — a prayer house under Limbe CCAP and continued singing when she went to secondary school.

It was her husband who asked her to do some songs so he could be listening to them at his private leisure and having enjoyed them he offered to fund having them recorded at one of the best studios in Blantyre — True Tone.

“My husband was taking guitar lessons at Collen Ali’s studio in Mpemba and having had the chance to listen to some of the songs he was producing, he was impressed — thus offering that my album should be recorded at True Tone,” she had said.

Larry always maintains that he had continuously admired his wife’s singing talent and saw it fit that her songs should be preserved for others to appreciate, saying apart from the beautiful melody, they are packed with inspirational preachings of the Word of God.

They are born-again Christians who congregate at Spoken Word Tabernacle, a pentecostal church in Lilongwe and also offers to sing for their fellow congregants.

It was after she recorded her first single, ‘Yesu Andiitana‘ — that thrilled her audience such that it inspired her to produce ‘Monga Ndili’ album and the songstress always pays tribute to Collen and “her very supporting husband, Larry for their cooperation throughout her studio works.

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