Namibian Sun

Zion, a youthful singing duo from Arandis, is ready to take the music industry by storm, and is made up of sisters Wondy (23) and Holly (17) Noabes.

During an interview, Wondy said that although she was born after independence, she is grateful that as an artist there is no bondage in expressing her musical ability.

“There are no limits to where we perform or the type of audience we perform for. I believe before independence, there were limits due to your complexion,” she said.

Holly shared the same sentiments. “Being born years after independence, I can only imagine the struggle musicians had to go through to get their voices heard. Being born-frees, we can express ourselves however we want,” said Holly. The duo mainly focuses on the Christian pop and R&B genres. On how they got involved in music, Wondy said music is the language their family speaks best and that their grandparents loved music. Their late grandfather, Johannes Noabeb, loved playing the guitar and their father inherited that love for music.

“He exposed us to that life at an early age, being a musician himself,” Wondy said.

Although they have not yet released any music on a commercial level, the duo does soulful covers of other Christian pop artists like Nigerian Ada and Tanzanian Nimix, while playing their acoustic guitars. The covers can be found on their YouTube channel, Eclesia Wondy Naobes. Describing Zion as Christ-like, loving, joyful and confident, Wondy added that their biggest achievement has been hearing how their music lifts up the spirits of people who hear it.

“Some of the most memorable events we ever performed at would be a show held at NBC's Studio 7, followed by the Truck Port ground opening ceremony held by the Arandis town council and the social responsibility day hosted in Swakopmund by Welwitschia Music Productions,” she said. The duo, who possess golden vocals and sing with beautiful harmonies, have a deep love for music and a day never goes by without music in their ears.

On how they came up with the name, Holly said: “It is biblical name and with our music, we want to share God's love, peace and hope. That's what Mount Zion means to us. It's a reminder of God's dwelling place and that place is full of unconditional love. ”Wondy and Holly received a few basic singing classes at their church, Eagle's Christian Centre, from their youth pastor Tresfort Banda two months before he moved. Since then, they have been learning to sing and play the guitar on their own.

“It is a blessing to have my sister share the same love for music with me. Many siblings grow up in the same house and end up growing apart, but in our case, we are not just a duo but partners in almost everything. We are each other's best friends,” Holly said. Christian pop musician Tobi Mac is their favourite artist because of his unique way of expressing himself. Another person who inspired them to pursue music is their father, Thomas 'Aboeta' Noabeb.

“We saw the power of music and how the message in it can bring hope again. Music has an effect on every single person,” Holly said.

According to her, their relationship with God has influenced their music immensely. “It helped us to see the world differently and when we write our music, we write to remind everyone of all God's promises,” she said.

Wondy urged young people and upcoming artists to be authentic and persistent in what they do, adding that it hurts to see creative, young artists compromise their true personality to get people to notice them. “It doesn't matter how long it takes or how hard it gets for you to be recognised, just stay true to yourself and don't give up,” she said.

The duo is set to be in the studio soon to record some music but chose to remain tight-lipped on when their fans can expect a release.

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