Lately, the South-African singer songwriter Bongeziwe Mabandla has been making waves, including outside of his native country. He received very positive reviews for his third album, ‘Iimini’ (2020), alongside a number of enthusiastically received European shows.

With his new album, ‘AmaXesha’, Mabandla shows that he has become the new face of Afro-folk; bringing original, modern, spiritual, danceable, melancholic though mostly joyous, sounds referencing African artists such as Jabu Khanyile, Bongo Maffin, Miriam Makeba, Simphiwe Dana, Thandiswa Mazwai, Salif Keita and Busi Mhlongo, but also with (Western) influences from Tracy Chapman, Damon Albarn, Lauryn Hill, Bon Iver, Geoffrey Gurrumul, Sinkane and Michael Kiwanuka.

On ‘AmaXesha’, Mabandla has collaborated again with his friend / producer / multi-musician Tiago Correia-Paulo (originally from Mozambique), who takes care of most of the more modern and electronic soundscapes.

Modest, traditional folk (with lyrics in his beautiful Xhosa language) remains the core basis, but by bringing this into a broader modern musical spectrum (with drum loops and synthesizers), the characteristic ‘modern world music’ sound of Bongeziwe Mabandla, with his smooth, sensual, meditative and sweet voice, becomes a mix of funky folk, uplifting gospel, sweet soul, smooth jazz and atmospheric urban beats.