Six months on from the release of the platinum-selling hit single “Sondela”, the musical duo Venom and Shishiliza have announced their eagerly anticipated debut album, “Love Is Pain”.
Venom and Shishiliza took to their Instragram pages to announce the album title and share the artwork. “LOVE IS PAIN 💿 The Album. Photography & Creative Direction: @mishaalganjaz. Lighting and Digi tech: @mv_mid. Makeup: @mentallyskye. Stylist: @katlego.gordana. Assistant stylist: @badlikemichaeljackson_. Design: @screezus_save_us 👕: @maxhosa”
Since its release in February, “Sondela”, which features Yumbs, Raspy, Blxckie and the late Riky Rick, has been a mainstay on local charts.
“Sondela” was an instant hit that reached over a million views on YouTube and a million streams on Apple Music within a month of release.
Over the past few months, it’s also been certified platinum and topped charts across various platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.
“Congratulations @VenomZM x @Shishiliza44 'Sondela' has surpassed 1⃣ Million Streams on @AppleMusic & @YouTube.”
Congratulations @VenomZM x @Shishiliza44 'Sondela' has surpassed 1⃣ Million Streams on @AppleMusic & @YouTube
— Sony Music Africa (@SonyMusicAfrica) March 9, 2022
▶️https://t.co/d6Dx9vWfMQ pic.twitter.com/wMFMpdJq2i
It also topped the Recording Industry of South Africa's (RISAs) official South African charts for both local and international and continues to consistently feature in the top 100 on Radio Monitor, which tracks the most played songs on local radio week in and week out.
Prior to “Sondela”, Venom and Shishiliza had released their debut single, “Sho Boy”, featuring several artists like Focalistic, Beast RSA, Yanga Chief, Buzzi Lee and Junior Taurus. The video was released in April.
Following a recent star-studded writing camp to finish up the album, the duo teased the snippet for a song titled "Harda".
The snippet features singer Tshego, who opens with a catchy hook over a melodic beat before Focalistic comes in with a mellow and laid-back verse of his own.
"Brand New Week……Let’s go #Harda!!
Y’all think we should drop this one soon 🤔 @Shishiliza44 @HerculesBeats @OfficialTshego @FOCALISTIC"
Brand New Week……Let’s go #Harda!!
— #Sondela (@VenomZM) May 9, 2022
Y’all think we should drop this one soon 🤔 @Shishiliza44 @HerculesBeats @OfficialTshego @FOCALISTIC pic.twitter.com/SyzvTVGLXA