POLOKWANE – Tshivenda traditional music and Afro soul artist, Musiwalo Nengudza, known as Sikheli Junior to his fans, is back with his new album Muthu ndi Muya.
The 14-track album promises to keep fans on their feet with songs such as Ndina tshililo, Malovhele, Rivhotile (love song),Vhudavhu, and Ndi divha zwakale.
“I had a love for music from an early age. My brother, Milton, started a village choir in 1997, and I became part of the choir as a tenor backer. He realised I was talented and started to focus on grooming me and training my voice. He would come home to train me and he would give me songs to lead at weddings and parties, that gave me confidence,” Nengudza explains.
He says after the choir disbanded, he started his own choir at the In Zion Apostolic Church which he led from 1999 to 2003.
In 2004, he moved to Pretoria where he joined an In Zion Apostolic Church in Saulsville. “I became a member of the choir and with my experience, I soon became the leader,” he said.
He met Takzit, a Venda reggae maestro in Pretoria and the two had a jamming session. “He said he was surprised someoene with my talent was not a recording artist and encouraged me to record a demo.
Musiwalo released his first album, Ladzani Shango, in 2012. The album won the South African Traditional Music Awards (SATMA) in 2013 in the Best Venda Album category and was nominated at the Tshivenda Music Awards (TSHIMA) in 2013.
“In 2014, I released my second album titled Nwali O Sinyuwa which was nominated at the 2015 SATMA awards in the Best Venda Album category,” he concluded.
