Watching mother, sister sing influenced Vuma Patient to pursue career in music

Watching his mother and sister sing in the choir influenced Vuma Patient Charmant’s decision to pursue a career in music. Today, he is one of the most renowned gospel artistes and producers in Kenya, as his wife Banice Vuma reveals. Milliam Murigi @millymur1m Vuma Patient Charmant came to Kenya from Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2010 as a refugee. He was running from consistent insecurity in his country and tired of the uncertainty of life. He also came in search of a better life. Ten years later, he has made a name for himself in the gospel industry. He is a proprietor of Golden Mind Records, a professional recording studio for gospel music only, as well as a vocals training centre based in Nairobi. He is also a gospel artiste and a voice coach. “His music journey started in his childhood days. His mother says he loved singing as he went about his chores. Even now, everything he does revolves around music—you will find him online reading about music production, or in church leading praise and worship, or just listening to good music to sharpen his skill,” says his wife Banice Vuma. As a teenager, together with a few others, they formed a music group in the DRC, where he was born and bred. However, in 2003 the group disintegrated when war broke. Vuma and his family became Internally Displaced Persons for three years before being reintegrated back to the society when their father secured a job. The journey Despite going through hardships, he never lost hope in taking his music to the next level—he always wanted to record his songs and become a gospel artiste. After moving to Kenya, he started pursuing music production via a private tutor. He also secured a job with the World Wide Gospel Church of Kenya in Githurai, as a music director. This is where he met Banice. “I used to fellowship at this church when he joined us as a music director. But we lost contact after a few months when he started working with different churches. We later reconnected around 2012, dated, and got married in December 2013,” she reveals. In 2011, Vuma recorded his first song Wafedheheshwe. So far, he has three albums with more than 18 songs on YouTube and other digital platforms. Some of his songs include Kitambulisho, Nimekubali, Kangama na Nzambe and Machozi ya Furaha. Though the couple was hoping for the best after their marriage, the worst happened. They couldn’t get a child immediately as they expected. It took them five years before Banice could conceive. The couple faced and had to answer unending questions from different quarters on when they would bring forth a child. Struggle with childlessness According to Vuma, although they were pressured to have a child by friends and family, the couple stuck together through it all. They lost friends while others thought the couple was cursed. One day, they went for a medical check-up in a local hospital, and surprisingly Banice was found to be pregnant. After a smooth nine-month journey, Banice delivered a bouncing baby boy Jenovic Vinson Vuma last year. The baby is now one-year-old. “For us, the pressure was from other parties. My husband never blamed me or said anything to suggest otherwise. He was supportive and we used to seek medical help together. Even when I became pregnant, he never missed any of antenatal check-ups. To date, we attend post-natal clinics together,” she says. She adds, “Vuma named him Jenovic, a French name that means Jesus Christ Our Victory. This is because God gave us victory over those relatives and friends who wanted to separate us because of lack of a child.” Their recording studio, Golden Mind Records was born in 2014. The studio has recorded and produced for some renowned gospel artistes such as Ali Mukwana, Rebecca Soki and Solomon Mukubwa, among others. Their future plan is to expand their record label in East and Central Africa. “He is the producer at Golden Mind and I am the managing director. He is good at his work and what I admire most from him is his humility. He is always willing to learn from the best producers and he spends hours practicing. This has borne fruits and we are growing day by day,” says Banice. And despite his tight schedule, Banice says he plays his fatherly role well as a responsible and present father, offering both quantity and quality time to his family. When she is away or at work, he is always there to take care of their son.

Watching mother, sister sing influenced Vuma Patient to pursue career in music

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Watching mother, sister sing influenced Vuma Patient to pursue career in music

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