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I had the pleasure of being invited to Afro-house and amapiano sensation Nobuhle Khuzwayo on Wednesday 25 August.
The singer whose vocals have featured on various Kabza De Small hits including Xola and Amandla drops her new album Imvula Rebirth. I was among the few guests she hosted at Jazzworx Studios for a sneak peek.
Imvula Rebirth is musical storytelling
With praise poetry, mbaqanga and other infusions, I struggled to place the track Isigubhu sikaGogo in any particular genre. But there was no mistaking the influence of the spiritual healer matriarchs who raised her.
The song gives insight into Nobuhle’s upbringing, the music that raised her and her grandmother’s teachings about patience and forging ahead even when everything inside her granddaughter was ready to give in.
“There are times when you don’t know if you should let go of a certain dream and pursue a different one. This is where I was when making this album,” Nobuhle shared.
Throughout the music, elements of her faith come to the surface. But even as someone who doesn’t subscribe to religion, I’m still able to identify with her determination to remain hopeful because this is more a value system and less a belief one.
On a few occasions, the singer reveals that some of the songs are about “stubbornness” and the refusal to be derailed from her dreams.
In Ngibulawa Nguwe she embraces the bright red aesthetic we usually associate with romantic relationships. The lyrics are assertive, not the whiny begging humans usually resort to when you realise that the one you love is just not that into you.
The video is also not so busy that you get lost in the aesthetic because at the end of the day, this is a heartbreak song.
What strikes a chord with me is how even as she bears her soul naked about how much of an uphill battle life has been, Nobuhle still leads with gratitude.
Nobuhle in her element
Unless a listening session is presented as including a performance, most artists sit quietly as the music plays from the speakers. In fact, even when there’s a performance element, this usually happens at the end, after the vote of thanks.
Not Nobuhle. She sang along throughout the set, occasionally rising up and losing herself to the music through dance. This must be the most energised listening session I’ve ever attended.
Honestly, Nobuhle may as well have been the host and the guest because the alleged programme manager was rather unenthusiastic and not very knowledgeable about the music.
“If you enjoyed my debut album Imvula released in 2021, you are going to love this one. I chose the word rebirth because this is about my death and reincarnation. I really wanted to use music to show how much I have grown. A lot has changed since then,” she explained.
This is interesting because artists usually describe moving away from their debut sound as the portrayal of their growth.
Kulomhlaba truly showcases her vocals. Naturally, she sounds great in the other songs as well, but here her range unapologetically commands its space under the spotlight.
It’s hardly surprising that the album is so well done because Nobuhle worked with Young Stunna, Kabza De Small and many others.
And when she delves into the dynamics of these working relationships, you can tell that these have transitioned from mere professional engagements to kinship.
I love the album but there’s one thing I’m unhappy about. I grew up on 1990s and early 2000s RnB. Songs had verses, choruses and hooks and listening to music that is repetitive makes me long for the lyrical depth that raised me.
Listen before you go Imvula Rebirth on Spotify
To be fair though, parallel to this was Kwaito which was heavily repetitive but I still enjoyed it. I’m not opposed to shorter lyrics, I’m just a writer who enjoys how colourful words can be.
By the end of the evening, I have the same feeling I had when listening to Freshlyground’s new album a few months ago: boxing artists into genres and categories is restricting for them and for us listeners, it means being deprived of really good musical experiments.
Imvula Rebirth is a delicious cocktail of slow-tempo songs with upbeat dance tracks, served with an infusion of amapiano, Afro-Pop, gospel and other sounds.
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