She is usually part of Big Zulu’s entourage.
As the first lady of iNkabi records and Big Zulu’s protégé, nothing less is expected.
But as she’s been under the rapper’s wing, she has been working towards soaring on her own.
Walking into her very first album launch and listening session with a pink dress, Big Zulu holding the tail, she’s warmly received by her industry friends and biggest supporters, one of whom is Somizi Mhlongo.
Before anything, Lwah Ndlunkulu starts by humbly thanking everyone who spared the time for her on the evening.
Facilitated by comedian Celeste Ntuli, the session kickstarted with Khuphuka which was just enough to set the mood at the Spitz store in Sandton.
In the first song, she credits her late grandmother’s upliftment for her success. The tone quickly shifts to love in the next song which got everyone on their feet.
Read More | ‘Believe in yourself before you expect others to believe in you’ – Lwah Ndlunkulu celebrates wins
Since its release, Ngiyeza has been a hit among her supporters with reference to a lady deciding to cohabit with her lover because of how head over heels she is. It doesn’t end there though.
The ladies in the room were ready to take matters of the heart in their own hands when Umtshingo, Ngezezo and Eyokuza came on.
From praising them and likening the voice of their lovers to the beautiful sounds of a flute, yearning to be heard and pressing on allowing actions to speak louder instead, to daring through the classic romantic request of transport fare just to commute to their lover because ‘the heart wants what it wants’ and as for the body, it demands the presence of a lover.
Keeping everyone on their feet dancing, another one of her hit songs, Ithuba blasts out.
Reiterating her gratitude for the support, opportunities that have culminated in her success as a pop singer and songwriter, the platinum-selling song featuring Siya Ntuli makes people sing from the top of their lungs.
No other song brought out a roar among ladies than Notification featuring Big Zulu though. The song officially calls for a vula’mlomo which is an amount of money to match men’s constant love confessions to women.
Still for the ladies who are madly in love, Eyami gave the right words to claim one’s man.
When she previously spoke to Drum, Lwah spoke about how she has dreamt of winning big in the music scene – a dream that has come true this year as she scooped two awards at the Basadi In Music Awards.
With just three years in the game, she regarded the awards as a cue to go bigger and not be too comfortable, hence the album.
The 23-year-old has gone from being a waitress and squatting in Big Zulu’s studio from Hluhluwa village in KwaZulu-Natal to having an apartment, an SUV as first car and using her two awards as weights on days that she doesn’t feel like going to gym.
“Everything has been a blessing, and it shows that if you persevere and you believe in yourself before you expect others to believe in you, you can go far.”
Read More | ‘Music has always been my home’ – Mduduzi Ncube collaborates with Mafikizolo on new single
At the very end of the album though, the mood turns a bit somber as Indawo Yakho is a little girl’s plea for intervention from her mother as she battles through her father’s sexual advances and potentially assault.
Of all the songs, this is her favourite.
“There are a lot of people who go through abuse and rape. Sometimes, they are abused and raped by family members, so it becomes hard for them to speak up about it. [Through the song], they will now realise that they are not alone, and they are not the only ones who have gone through the pain.”
Speaking about the album after the turnout, she ecstatically says she just wanted to remind women of their worth and power.
“I want people to remember what music truly is when all its elements come together, to remind people about true love and remind women that they deserve to be loved, they deserve to be taken care of and the onus is on men to show their women that kind of love and respect.”
