SA: Bongeziwe Mabandla drops new single ukuthanda wena

The song is available for streaming and download on all major digital platforms. It is off Mabandla’s upcoming album amaXesha, which is set for release in April and follows the recently released ‘Noba Bangathini’.

Mabandla explores heartache and the dark side of love while delivering a universal message of what it feels like to feel spurned in love, through a dark atmospheric song that’s hard to shake.

“Sometimes you can have the purest and most beautiful intentions for someone but they can be met in the most horrible way,” Mabandla says. “Sometimes being a hopeless romantic and love-obsessed person can end up making you look like a fool.”

Mabandla and his collaborator and producer, Tiago Correia-Paulo (Tumi and The Volume, 340ml), tapped into the darkness gestured at in the song’s lyrics resulting in a drum-heavy, pitched-down techno-esque production.

Correia-Paulo said: “The emotional resonance of the production comes from the balancing act of layering instruments, like synths and various percussive elements to achieve a build-up, but never discarding its imminent release and return to simplicity.”

Mabandla is one of the most innovative artists in South Africa today. He is an award-winning singer-songwriter and musician known for his unique style, fusing traditional Xhosa folk music with modern electronic production. Unafraid to experiment with his creativity, this blend of traditional and contemporary influences gives his music a unique and distinct sound that sets him apart from his peers.

Mabandla will tour South Africa in late April and May. He is also set to play in London, UK, on 1 June. Tickets to the London gig are available here and here.