Fiona Mona is a born-again child of God, powerful worshipper, giver, song writer, vocalist, and businesswoman. Born as Jonita Malesa Visser in Koffiefontein, a small diamond mining town in the Free State. She was later named Fiona by her late father.
“I was born into a Christian and very musical family; I was raised by my parents who were pastors at AFM Koffiefontein” she said. Mona is happily wed to her husband Vuyani Mona, who is also her manager.
On her life journey
Mona co-founded Golden Creations and Events (Pty) Ltd in 2016, and in 2018 she co-founded the concept ‘Woman Thy Faith is Great; an annual event that focuses on helping woman understand that they have special place in the heart of God and that they were created with a purpose. The artist said she is committed to proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ to the world through various gifts, declaring that Jesus is Lord.
Before she was introduced as a solo artist, Mona was part of and lead singer for AFM Conquerors, ECC Koffiefontein, The Mighty Faith Crusaders, and later co-founded Hope Gospel Group.
Fiona Mona gives Back
In an interview with iSpotDaily, Mona said “as a born-again Christian, I understand the mandate in Matthew 25:35-40, consequently I raise funds in order to give to the less fortunate in Koffiefontein.”
She spearheads a monthly whereby she and her ‘team’ distributes clothes to the less fortunate, blankets to the elderly, soup, food and vegetable packages, toiletry packs and school shoes to learners.
My offering: a debut album
FionaM released her debut album, My Offering, on September 28, 2021, and in 2022 she was crowned Newcomer of the Year in the Free State Gospel Music awards.
“My debut album contains several FionaM original songs including My offering, Umusa, Lebitso la Jeso, Ndisindisiwe, Al die Lof en vrede in my Hart” she adds.
According to Mona, the songs are a true reflection of Fiona’s Christian journey, and points out that, over and above the fact that she was born and raised in a Christian home she still had to accept Jesus as her personal savior. “I have a personal experience with the Lord, and having been in church for all my life, old hymns like Uthando, African Hymn Medley and the Koortjies medley reflects that” she said.
Mona claims that her debut album has something for everyone, “it really echo’s my personality and my ability to connect with people from all kinds of backgrounds and walks in life” she adds.
Mona told iSpotDaily that she has been singing in churches, at funerals and in the community for a very long time. “Apart from it having been overdue to give people my heart [now] through music, my husband was the biggest inspiration for my debut album” she adds.
She further added that she was overwhelmed by the news about her nomination as Best Newcomer of the year for the Free State Gospel Music awards.
She adds further that “it really felt amazing to have been nominated, and [I] told [myself] that even if I don’t win the award, the nomination meant a lot to me.” FionaM thanks her friends, family and supporters across the Free State and Northern Cape provinces who voted everyday until October 29, 2022.
When iSpotDaily asked Mona how she manages her time given all her commitments, she said that she has over the past years learnt what to prioritize. “I am continually learning how to balance between my business, music career and family time” she said.
FionaM is currently planning her live DVD where she will be recording some of the songs on her debut album. “We will also be introducing a few new songs; my long-term vision is to look for new talent and assist them to make their journey easier.”
The artists claims that her biggest challenges throughout her journey have been people not believing in her vision, and not having enough resources to execute her plans.
“My husband is my best friend. As my manager, we came to an understanding that we will not always agree on things, however, we must do it and overcome challenges together. Separating is quite difficult” the artist said.
Her husband and manager, Vuyani Mona, said that FionaM has an amazing gift, and a great personality. He also claims that people love the artist, “that motivates me to manage her” he adds.
“It is extremely challenging to manage your spouse when you must separate your partner from the artist, your approach constantly has to change. On the other hand, it is also easy because we have an understanding, when I have a vision, she is the first person that I tell and vice versa” he concludes.
A mother to her nephew
Mona’s nephew, Bokamoso Sivuyile Thoko, told iSpotDaily that he is extremely proud of his aunt [FionaM].
He added that as a family, they are happy for Mona as she is getting closer to her dream of becoming a well-known and recognized gospel artist. “Since the passing of my mother, my aunt has been a mother figure for me, and she has always been there for me when I needed her the most” he said.
Thoko said that Mona made him feel that with determination and commitment, success can come at any stage in life.
