Nobuhle’s new offering is an experimental project where she played around with amapiano to tap into her African soul music creating what can be described as spiritual amapiano.
“Indlela”, a 10-track offering, features some of the country’s musical heavyweights such as Kabza De Small, Josiah De Disciple, Mpumi Mzobe and De Mthuda.
The album is a beautiful blend of Zulu love peppered with gratitude to higher deities. “We are seeing spiritual, people, beautiful song, writers entering into the space of, amapiano as well,” she said.
Nobuhle is an Afro-pop house musician with a spiritual undertone. The singer uses her music as a form of healing.
“I heal up within my craft, I create songs for the purpose of healing and self-empowerment,” she told IOL Entertainment.
When it comes to her creative process Nobuhle says she records a lot of music and earlier this year she found herself not wanting to sing.
“I remember being like, I don’t want to sing anymore. I just want to take a break, but then when you take a break, something just keeps taking you back, like you still have more to say,” she said.
When it comes to her new offering Nobuhle played around with amapiano and was able to find a way to make it her own.
“What would my voice sound like in a piano beat?” she wondered how she blended her spiritual tone voice into it. Since she wanted to re-introduce herself again to fans post-lockdown, she decided to come out strong.
“People are out there, it’s no longer lockdown, we are in free space. When I did my first album I feel like it could have done way better if we had not been under those restrictions.
“So this one I was like okay I need to make it a return. Probably introduce myself to other audiences,” she said.
Now that things in the world and Mzansi have returned back to normal post-pandemic, there’s no better time for her to release her EP.
A music and drama graduate from the University of KwaZulu Natal, she is currently a mainstream artist.
Nobuhle said: “It’s completely different from what I studied because, you know, the music, the curriculum is a whole lot different thing.”
However, her qualification has equipped her with the tools that assist in navigating the music industry.
“It is really handful when it comes to performing as well and also just understanding the music business as well. So there’s a lot, it really just meets up somewhere, in a very weird space,” she says.
Nobuhle has worked with different house DJs and producers, such as award-winning artists Black Motion, Sun El Musician and DJs duo Lemon & Herb on their album and DJ Merlon with “Sifun’imali”.
“I think everybody that I’ve worked with has had an impact in my life and they have fully supported me in so many ways that it could ever imagine.”
Most of these collaborations were birthed through the DMs on social media, where most links are made these days.
“We realised the power of social media, as well, everything is there for me. Social media has been my way to go.
“My career literally started because of the lockdown. I've been doing this thing and just using online resources, socials and what not to keep moving, but, you know, Kabza as well also saw me on Instagram.
“He just DM’d me that one. I still don’t know how he knew about me and he won’t say. Yeah, he keeps on telling me that. No, I heard your voice somewhere.” she revealed about linking up with De Small.
Social media has proven to birth stars, no longer are artists passing around CDs to radio stations and A&Rs, hoping to catch someone’s attention. Now “the music moves and people talk.
“It’s a matter of, you know, those conversations that you have with people in the industry and they pass on and then they pass on,” she said.
With 2022 almost over, Nobuhle has had the honour of doing so many things, she can hardly even count.
She calls featuring on three tracks on De Small’s “King of Amapiano” album one the biggest highlights of the year.
On a personal level, going through her spiritual transition has been amazing for her, learning about herself has been a beautiful journey.
Nobuhle’s EP “Indlela” is available on all digital platforms.
Read the latest issue of IOL Entertainment’s digital magazine here.