NOMBULELO MAQETUKA

AFRO-SOUL singer Nombuleleo Maqetuka is a refined painter of savory songs.

The young female artist has gone through a music purifying process whilst working with many of the country’s cultivated artists such as Judith Sephuma and Sipho Mabuse. It’s for the above reason and over and above it’s due to her skill and vision that her debut album Essence of Love has turned out to be an illuminating offering.

It took just over four months for the singer to put together the flavourful tunes in the luscious album - produced by Lawrence Matshiza.

Nombulelo wrote seven of the album’s songs including the funky and soulful Ngivulele. Judith Sephuma penned the palmy opener.

The dazzlingly talented singer comes from Diepkloof Extension 3 in Soweto and got her informal beginner’s training in singing at her mother’s church the Assemblies of God.

Her father, a choral choir conductor, often took her and her siblings to his choir’s rehearsal sessions where it was expected his children will take part in the singing.

Nombulelo began singing professionally whilst she was at Wits Tech where she was studying Logistic Management from 1998.

“When I was faced with the challenge to make a choice between studying for an exam I would be writing the following day and a gig on that night, I would go for the gig.”

At that time she performed standards with the likes of Lucas Senyatso, Sylvester Mazinyane, Sello Montwedi and Prince Kupi.

Nombulelo did some vocal training at Funda Centre. It was her vocal proficiencies that motivated the judges to nominate her as the winner of the Old Mutual Jazz Encounters Best Afro-jazz vocalist category for the Gauteng Region in 2000 when she was just 18.

Lindelani Mkhize, who was an executive at Sony Music, spotted her performing at that noble cultural institution Kippie’s Jazz International in Newtown.

Mkhize got her the first session work as a backing singer for among others Sharon D, Stompie Mavi and Jabu Hlongwane.

“I made a bit of money and got some experience along the way,” she reminisces.

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