Jennifer Rush set for Zimbabwe
Entertainment

Jennifer Rush set for Zimbabwe

HARARE – International music superstar Jennifer Rush is set to hold a concert in Harare as part of her southern African tour in October and November.

Jennifer Rush
Jennifer Rush

With a series of concerts in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, the 80s icon is linking the tour with the 30th anniversary of her mega hit The Power Of Love, listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling single by a female solo artist in the history of British pop.

Announcing that the Harare concert will take place on Friday, October 23, Sound Event Management’s Minky Walters said the popularity of 80s music among Zimbabweans of all ages would mean great local interest in the show, which will also feature a number of local performers on stage in support of the headline star.

Patience Musa and Macy Huber will sing as openers with local band Cynergy, while singers Prudence Katomeni -Mbofana and Daniel Jenkins will join the superstar on stage during her performance.

The Southern African concerts will be spread across eight cities — Pretoria, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, Bloemfontein, Harare and Windhoek and would feature a South African band to add a 21st-Century twist to her iconic 80s songs, as well as some of her more recent material.

During her career, Rush sold over 50 million albums and has collaborated with other international stars, including Elton John, Michael Bolton, Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo. Her other familiar hits include Ring Of Ice, Madonna’s Eyes and Destiny.

“Coming to southern Africa is a dream come true. I love it here and it is a great way to celebrate three decades since my first major hit,’ she said.

“I am excited to be starting my world tour in Southern Africa and I always draw inspiration from this beautiful part of the world.”

Rush is one of pop music‘s most successful vocal artists. She was born in New York City, where her father, a tenor, performed in opera and travelled all over the world to sing. Her mother is a concert pianist and vocal coach and her older brothers also headed for careers in the music business.

Before her family moved to Europe due to her father’s singing engagements, Jennifer studied the violin at Julliard School of Music in NYC and showed an intense interest in poetry and song-writing.

Her biggest influences were Aretha Franklin, Chaka Chan, Gladys Knight and Joni Mitchell. Her father was the one to pay for her first demo tape which led to Jennifer signing her first record deal with CBS Germany. She conquered the charts and the hearts of her fans like no other musical artist at the time, scored hit by hit and sold out the biggest concert venues.

Her timeless ballad The Power Of Love made history in music and with her exceptional voice Rush has established herself among the best female artists worldwide.

Her success started in the mid-80s, when her single 25 Lovers drew the attention of radio stations and became her first commercial hit in Europe.

Accompanied by her next hit single, Ring Of Ice, the debut album  Rush exceeded all expectations and remained the in the German Top 75 for over 100 weeks.

The Power Of Love, co-written by Rush, was released as the next single and marked the birth of what has been generally acknowledged to be the signature love song of the decade.

The song hit the charts from Scandinavia to South Africa and reached the Top 10 in 16 countries. It entered the US Billboard Charts and quickly became listed in the Guinness Book of Records as “the best selling single by a female solo artist in the history of British pop music”.

While The Power Of Love was still on the charts, Rush had been working on her second album, Movin, which was released in autumn 1985 alongside the single Destiny, which became her biggest single hit in Germany.

This critically-acclaimed album is considered a milestone in 80s pop music, unifying Rush’s powerful voice with the unique and ground-breaking sound of her songs. Daily News

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