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While he has released singles and collaborations in between, it’s been over a decade since Mnqobi Mdabe released a full body of work.
He’s back with not just new music but a new name as well. Having closed the final chapter of his Shota era, the musician and producer dropped his new EP, Africa to the World, last month.
Listen before you go. Africa to the World on Spotify
Dawn of a new era
There’s something he does just one minute before the end of the opening track, I See the Light, where he switches up the arrangement. He returns to the original style only to switch things up again at the end of the song, giving it the feel of the “hey” at the end of the legendary South African song Sarafina.
He explains how it’s important for each song to have its unique place musically, describing the EP as conceptualised from the point of view of a brand new artist.
“During my Shota era I was known for mostly up-tempo music so in this track I revisit my roots and also mix it up with current trends. I’ve noticed how a lot of artists who come back to the music scene after a hiatus don’t take into consideration that the music industry may have evolved since their last release,” he says.
Name changes are not that prevalent among actors, visual artists and other creatives, but this trend is very popular among musicians. Rock and funk star Prince, for example, went from Prince to The Love Symbol to The Artist and had reverted back to Prince by the time he passed away in 2016.
When releasing a solo project after identifying as Dash during his DreamTeam days, the South African musician changed his name to Zulu Mkhathini, which he’s still using.
For Shoba, however, dropping the name Shota wasn’t about hype or following the latest trend but was part of his spiritual awakening which involved surname changes, appeasing his ancestors and slaughtering. Shota was his clan name when he was still using his father’s surname; however, his uncles explained that there were still outstanding rituals and traditions on his father’s part.
“Things started really falling into place. Going back home where you belong helps you realise that you had been on the wrong path all along. People will tell you that this too shall pass, but it doesn’t until you eventually do what your spiritual guides require of you,” he explained.
Delving into the music
The track Ngiyakukhumbula is also more instrumentally heavy, leaning less toward lyrical content. I found that this works for the song’s length. I picked up elements of rave and electronic music but couldn’t quite place its genre.
Shoba explained that this is a detail some people miss in his new sound, and reintroducing himself as somewhat of a “new artist” was intentional as he wanted to give his music global appeal. The idea was sparked while working with Black Coffee, who he refers to by his nickname Nathi (short for Nkosinathi) as his tour manager.
“While travelling I noticed the kind of music they listen to in Germany, London and other parts of the world. This gave me real opportunities to get my own gigs and do my own tours and the reality is, my international audience should also be able to enjoy my music.”
But he doesn’t want to lose his South African fans, which is why his sound is now more Afro-tech.
As a lover of words, I’ve always been more inclined to find appeal in the lyrical content than musical arrangement. However, the way Shoba plays around with instrumentation in his new EP was something I simply couldn’t help noticing.
While he didn’t want to create an EP that would feel foreign to his existing fanbase, sticking to Afro-house, amapiano and other genres that resonate with South Africans was not going to reach as broad of an international audience as he is hoping for.
In the new EP, Shoba sings in isiZulu with most of his lyrics circling around love and romance as these are universal themes. He has also kept the language simple for international fans who want to use translation services.
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