Zimbabwe's Prolific song writer, Producer and Recording Artist - Audius Mtawarira

This is the second time ZimbeatNews is featuring prolific song writter, producer and recording artist  Audius Mtawarira on this blog.  Audius is raising the Zimbabwean flag high across the world through music production for top artists in Australia and the US. It is good to celebrate success, as it encourages others to realize their full potential.  

Audius Mtawarira was born in 1977 in Harare, Zimbabwe, and now resides in Sydney, Australia. He attended Peterhouse Boys, a private British boarding school in Zimbabwe where he sang in the choir and played the drums. After finishing his university degree in Perth, Australia he turned his attention writing and producing music. You can sample his songs below:

He started producing in 2002, producing the majority of Selwyn's album, Meant To Be which peaked at number nine on the ARIA Album charts and was certified Gold.
In 2003 he collaborated with Delta Goodremon Innocent Eyes co-writing. and producing the number one single "Born to Try". The song debuted at number three before reaching number one on the Australian Singles chart, becoming Goodrem's first number one single. It spent three months in the top five and went on to sell over 210,000 copies, making it the third highest selling single of 2002. In the UK, it debuted and peaked the charts at number three, spending eleven weeks in the top forty and reached number one on the New Zealand singles charts. "Born to Try" won 'Single of the Year' at the ARIA Music Awards of 2003. 

In 2004, Audius produced Australian Idol contestant Paulini's debut album One Determined Heart which produced number 1 hit "Angel Eyes" and went certified Platinum. In 2005 he co-wrote fellow-Idol Contestant Ricki-Lee Coulter's "Hell No!", which reached number five on the ARIA singles charts, and produced majority of her album. 

After having some great success, Audius turned his attention to building his own studios and record label. He is a part owner of The Sound Academy studios in Sydney as well as record label Blindfaith Entertainment. In 2008 Audius produced Jessica Mauboy's new album, Been Waiting, co-writing her single, "Running Back", which peaked at number three on the Australian singles charts. 2008 also saw Audius launch his own fashion label Shona Clothing which is heavily influenced by his Zimbabwean heritage. "Running Back" won 'Highest Selling Single' at the ARIA Music Awards of 2009. 

Audius' solo recordings have garnered him popularity in his native Zimbabwe and South Africa. He has released 4 albums in Africa - 'Audius' (2002), 'Ever After' (2003), 'Music and Me' (2005) and 'Day Like This' (2008). His current release 'Day Like This' was also released in Australia through Blindfaith/Inertia. In 2003, Audius won the Best Urban Grooves (Male) at the Zimbabwe Music Awards.