AFTER they were featured by hip-hop stars and Afro-pop musicians, maskandi top-sellers Shwi NoMtekhala, got inspired to test the waters in the Afro-pop genre.
The Ngafa hitmakers released an Afro-pop single titled Uthando, featuring Nathi Mankayi and Mnqobi Yazo this past Friday.
The duo said they’ve made people recognise the maskandi genre and want to be the first to make maskandi fans recognise other genres.
Having sold more than 500 000 copies of their fourth album Wangisiza Baba in 2004, they’ve released 16 maskandi albums and scooped many top awards since the beginning of their musical journey back in 2001.
They’ve been featured by famous artists such as Cassper Nyovest, Kid X and Mlindo.
The leader of the duo, Mandla “Shwi” Xaba, told SunBuuzz when they released Ngafa in 2004 they broke all boundaries.
“After that hit song we didn’t release another one and people thought we were done.
“Whenever we performed with other artists from other genres such as Cassper, Kid X and Mlindo, people always asked us to release an Afro-pop or hip-hop song,” he said.
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“Doing other genres showed us how far we’ve come in the music industry. We’re game changers and hope to also shine in the Afro-pop space.”
The duo wants to be everywhere and feels doing only maskandi s sometimes limiting.
“In other places they still don’t recognise maskandi music and there’s nothing we can do about that because it’s their nature.
“But they always give us a warm welcome when we perform with other artists from other genres,” Shwi said.
He said working with young stars such as Nathi and Mlindo has helped them to stay relevant and have shared ideas with other big-name musicians.
He said at the moment they’ll gauge their fans response before releasing a full album.
“A Shwi NoMtekhala maskandi album will be released at the beginning of next year. Also, the plan is to release three maskandi singles before December,” he said.
The song is available on all digital platforms.