Bongeziwe Mabandla: The voice that took isiXhosa folk global

In this episode of The African Imaginary Podcast, host Khangi Khoza and musician Bongeziwe Mabandla dive into a childhood in rural Tsolo with trees for an audience, the mother who quietly bought the crayons and the guitar, sensitivity and depression and getting paid to feel, the health scare that reframed everything, his long partnership with producer Tiago Correia-Paulo, singing in isiXhosa to rooms in France, and more. Read the companion essay on Substack Follow us on Instagram Follow Bongeziwe Mabandla on Instagram   Bongeziwe Mabandla is a South African singer-songwriter who blends isiXhosa folk with electronica, a sound he calls Xhosa soul. Born in Tsolo in the rural Eastern Cape, he was sent to the Lady Grey Arts Academy as a teenager, later studied drama in Johannesburg and appeared in Generations before releasing his debut album Umlilo in 2012. His catalogue is built around a long partnership with Mozambican producer Tiago Correia-Paulo, from Mangaliso, which won Best Alternative Album at the SAMAs, through iimini and amaXesha, named The Guardian's global album of the month. * The African Imaginary on Linktree Our Website