Zolani Mahola readies up for next chapter

Musicians are known to keep some distance between their public and private lives. Their personas are usually laced with some mystique while creating an undying yearning and fascination from their fans. Zolani Mahola has broken the mystique following the announcement of her solo career after 17 fruitful years with the world-renowned Freshly Ground.

The star broke the news during an intimate performance at Braamfontein’s Untitled Basement where she took the audience on a journey through her life. With each song revisiting a time in her life – both joyful and tumultuous – the milestone promises a deeper look into the life and times of Zolani Mahola, the one who sings.

“I felt a whole range of emotion because the announcement I was making with that performance was a massive one and one that has taken me quite a long time to get to. My main emotion was just really taking into account the importance of the moment and giving real acknowledgement to who I have been and who I’m stepping into,” Zolani said

Zolani said the milestone performance was not only a stepping stone into the next chapter of her life but a setting to display her passion for shared-experience through poignant storytelling and inspirational talks that encourage people to give into the curiosity of their own stories and to share them.

“I am using my story, my true story and true emotions that I’ve had as a result of events in my life and lessons I’ve learnt from that,” she said.

Following an illustrious music career, Zolani has moulded herself into a leading vessel for authentic South African stories as she continues to unify the country through music and bridging social, racial and language divides. Through the celebration of heritage, belonging and identity in her own life, Zolani said her stories are but a small-scale version of a greater South African story.

“We’ve got such incredible diversity which goes beyond the rainbow nation idea. We are a microcosm of the world and what we can achieve here will teach the world hugely and if we lead into that story we can only be magnificent. That’s the point of my keynote speech – my story within our story,” said Zolani.

Although Braamfontien was the launch pad for Zolani’s solo career, it also functioned as a site to revisit her time with her band. Looking back at the memories shared with Freshlyground, Zolani said her journey has been outstanding as she had the opportunity to play alongside some of the most talented musicians in the country and realise dreams that she didn’t know she had.

“It’s been an epic journey, and Freshlyground will always be an integral part of my life story. I’m extremely proud of what our band has achieved and how we were able to unite our country through music and take our unique sound to the world. It may seem like the end of an era, but it’s certainly not goodbye,” she said.

While deeply rooted in folk traditions, Zolani says her new musical style is as rich as it is diverse. Expect a culture clash of Xhosa-folk meets acoustic Americana with the fiery grit of indie-rock.  In many cultures around the world, songs and music are used to pass down stories and wisdom from one generation to the next. In her latest creation, she said she plans to use this blend of musical storytelling to produce a sound that feels new and fresh, while also seeming familiar and ageless.

“It’s in every single culture. The culture of passing down heritage and stories from one generation to the next. We live for stories and it’s a deep part of our make-up as human beings. With my next chapter, I’m using stories as vehicle to show people that we have agency and a choice to create the reality we want to create for ourselves and our communities,” she said.