He was one of the biggest winners at the MetroFM Music Awards at Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga on Saturday night – affirming the sentiments of his and Kabza de Small's hit: siyophumelela (we will succeed).
But just a couple of years ago, success for the KZN-born star did not seem certain after the first hard Covid-19 lockdown was announced shortly after the little-known writer and producer had just moved to Joburg.
Njabulo Mthunzi Ndimande had taken his biggest leap of faith in 2019 when he first came to Joburg from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) to pursue his music dream.
He had been called in by Sun-El Musician to work after he had been tagging and pestering a couple of big artists and producers on social media for an opportunity.
Read more | Mthunzi brings his maskandi influence into his new song with Kabza De Small
“I didn’t have much of a plan. I at least knew who I was going to, which at the time was Sun-El Musician and he told me that we’ll figure out everything when I get to Joburg,” Mthunzi recalls.
“Even the way I packed my clothes, it was a thing of I’ll be in Joburg for a few days or a week then go back to KZN. I didn’t know that that was my relocation.
“One day around November 2018, he responded, and I came to Joburg in February 2019.” But the lockdown which soon followed presented somewhat of a test to Mthunzi.
Shortly after his arrival at Sun-El's invitation, lockdown was implemented and Mthunzi was stuck in the City of Gold.
This turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the musician, however.
Read more | Mthunzi brings his maskandi influence into his new song with Kabza De Small
Because his family knew how much he loved music, they supported him every step of the way despite not having anyone within reach to explain to them the dynamics of the music business.
Though they were stressed, he says they fed off from his excitement.
So it was only fitting for Mthunzi to call his family to join him on stage before accepting his first MetroFM award on Saturday night, the artist tells Drum.
For him, that moment of reaping the fruits of his hard work in the presence of his family was priceless.
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- The birth of an answered prayer
Bambelela mgani wam, siyophumelela yizwa ngami (Persevere my friend, hear it from me: we will succeed).
These are the words of hope in Njabulo Mthunzi Ndimande's hit song, Imithandazo.
As someone who’s been pushing music, waiting for his breakthrough for as long as he can remember, Mthunzi wrote these powerful words to inspire others, but he also drew strength from his own lyrics in his song with Kabza de Small.
Imithandazo is such an emaculately composed song. Being able to produce a song like this has to be a spiritual calling. I can’t remember the last time I felt like this. Pulchritudinous!
— Lynette Engelbrecht (@Lynette_SA) May 1, 2024
After scooping four gongs at the MetroFM awards, Njabulo Mthunzi Ndimande is ecstatic to have given South Africa song of the year with Imithandazo.
“It’s unbelievable, I didn’t think I’d win four awards!" he exclaims.
“I was aiming at two: best amapiano song and best collaboration. I won’t lie, the two guys who took me to Kabza’s studio for this song played a huge role in this. They know that I don’t play, when I get to studio, I don’t look for food first, I’m looking for a beat.”
- Mthunzi's next move
Now that he’s cemented his place in the music scene, he says the next move is winning at the South African Music Awards (SAMAs) later on in the year and releasing as much music as possible.
“I’m yet to make you all busy. I still have so many songs that are just waiting to be released – and an Afro-pop project," the artist reveals.
“With my recent songs, I was just venturing into amapiano to test my songwriting skill in the genre.
“So, now that I’ve seen that it works, I’m yet to decide if I’ll be going to go fully back to Afro-pop or merge it with amapiano.”
