Thandiswa Mazwai – Zabalaza

By 2004, Thandiswa Mazwai had been with Bongo Muffin for close to 10 years. As a four-person crew, Bongo Maffin released songs such as ‘Makeba’ to nationwide acclaim. When their fourth member Speedy left, Bongo Muffin continued creating unmatched feats of musical brilliance. They were kwaito, but not quite; hip-hop, but not quite; roots, maybe, but also pop. Bongo Muffin were an institution unto themselves. When their Shona-toasting raggamuffin Jah Seed (then known as Apple Seed) was deported from South Africa, they refused to perform in the country without him, focusing instead on their increasingly-expanding international fanbase, playing festivals as far afield as Europe and North America in support of their 2001 album Bongolution.Despite having been the “voice” of Bongo Muffin - and of early kwaito outfit Jacknife before that - Thandiswa still felt she had more to say. So she released Zabalaza, her solo debut album. Those who wondered what she’d sound like and how she would fare as a solo artist were pleasantly surprised. Thandiswa had come into her own – she had defied the odds and created a timeless body of work.

Thandiswa lends her soulful, carefully controlled voice to songs with a wide-ranging musical scope. The subjects in her lyrics were varied too; “Are the beatiful ones really dead?” she asks in ‘Nizalwa Ngobani’ (a reference to Ayi Kwei Armah’s The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born). In that moment, she gave her artist’s statement: she opened up a gallery that, albeit first and foremost pan-African, was not afraid to embrace influences from further afield. Looking for Southern-style gospel funk? Look no further than ‘Revelation’, with a bass groove and fast-paced organ capable of sending the listener straight to the pulpit of an American Pentecostal Church sermon. Wondering whether she’d left her kwaito and house roots? ‘Kwanele’ erases all doubt. ‘Ndiyahamba’, a lilting soundtrack to departure, captures Thandiswa at her unadulterated best. You can hear her dancing and prancing, wondering frantically through the train station, jumping from one platform to the next seeking the right carriage. “N’yegele mina mfondini, ndiyahamba” (let me go, I’m going) she beckons her captors - captors of her spirit, her artistry. Elsewhere she covers ‘Ntyilo Ntyilo’, penned by Alan Silinga and first made famous by Miriam Makeba and the Manhattan Brothers in the 1950s.

Zabalaza is an important album. It has even threatened to eclipse Thandiswa’s later work, such as the magnificent 2009 release Ibokwe. But because of her immense presence, relevance and a relentless work ethic, people have afforded Thandiswa the space to be, to exist, and to continue breaking borders and boundaries. And people love her for it!