THELMA BWALYA, Lusaka
ANTONIO “The Yellow Dove”, known for his song Madobie Dobi, is this December expected to release a book titled Born to Win, which he says will detail a number of events he has encountered since he came on the scene.
In an interview with the Weekend Mail, Antonio said he had an unexpected health complication two years ago, which is the main reason that has been compelled him to share his story through a book.
Antonio says he was found with bipolar disorder which escalated to a mental breakdown and ultimately led to him feeling hopeless and depressed and without any control over his body.
“I kept receiving medication after four months of being home. I had got dropped from UNZA [University of Zambia] as a student, my album died because I had messed up my name and said shameful things to people who were supporting me,” he says.
Antonio, the only child in his family, says it was equally a painful period for his family and he also lost a lot of friends as most of them judged him too harshly.
“After eight months, God mysteriously healed me but I still had to battle depression as I lost a lot of friends. I just decided to turn to God and asked him to restore me. Within three months, I was back at UNZA on full sponsorship. My music bounced back and that’s when I did Madobie Dobi and it was number one on most radio stations,” he says.
Antonio is now a radio and television presenter, and this year, he launched a show called Gospel Cruise on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) TV2.
“The gospel cruise show is mainly about showcasing gospel videos with a twist of pranks. It has two set-ups, in the studio and in the middle of the road, with permission of course,” he says.
In August, Antonio released a single titled Nifuna Yesu and is now working on a follow-up to his song What Would Jesus Do if He Came To Zambia but which he is now calling What Would Jesus Do if He Came to Africa on which he will feature Lydia formerly of Ma Africa.