Prudence Katomeni Mbofana

She is a talented Zimbabwean Jazz musician, and has one of the most soulful voices in the country. She rose to prominence when she was the lead vocalist in the band, Jazz Invitation releasing hits such as BP and Ruva Rangu. Before that she had made a debut in showbiz when she featured in the multi-award winning movie, More Time in 1993.

 

 

Katomeni launched her solo career in 2011 with the release of her self-entitled debut album. The album carried hit tracks such as Baba vaBoy and Stronger which enjoyed favorable airplay on local stations. Arguably the best female jazz musician, Katomeni has toured extensively in the UK, Germany and Norway among other countries. 

She was born in 1977. Katomeni is married to prominent radio personality, Comfort Mbofana who works for Star FM. The couple is blessed with four children. 

Prudence attended Avondale Primary School where her teacher identified her music talent a very tender age. She also attended Girls High School in Harare. In 2009 she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jazz Music from the Zimbabwe College of Music. 

She began her music career at the tender age of 8 where she began singing. Her passion for music grew with her as she also grew up. This led her to join school choirs throughout her primary and high school life. At the age of 15 she (now affectionately known to her fans as Prue) had lent her voice to two of Zimbabwe’s household name Albert Nyathi and Tanga wekwa Sando for their music projects. 

After completing her ‘A’ levels she joined a band called The Vice, where she was the youngest member. She gained considerable experience from the band and later moved Jazz Invitation. Katomeni was to stay with the band for over a decade. As a leading vocalist for the band, Katomeni made the band popular with the hit BP. The song which was accompanied by a sizzling video got favorable airplay on the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC-TV). With the band she toured the UK, South Africa and Namibia after the release of their album The Rehearsal Room. 

She launched her solo career in 2011 with the release of her album Prudence in 2011. The album carries songs with themes ranging from lovers to disgruntled housewives. They give hope to those in need of encouragement.[4] The album carries songs like in Stronger, Joy, Anenge and Dzidza. 

She is amongst the pioneers of StarBrite in the 90s when StarBrite came into existence as she was one of the contestants back in the years. Passing through the hands of StarBrite into stardom. She also performed at the StarBrite finals of 2013.