Nhlanhla Dube will honour her idol, the late Busi Mhlongo, with a tribute music concert titled Isikhumbuzo.
Busisiwe Mhlongo, who passed away in 2010, was a talented and innovatively versatile urban IsiZulu singer who contributed to put the nation’s music on the international stage.
The music concert, directed by Meshack Mavuso Magabane, will recognise Mhlongo’s political influence, storytelling, feminism, and her fight against racism and tribalism.
Dube is dynamically unboxed with a creative spirit that allows her to interchange genres. Audiences will be spoiled with sounds of maskandi, mbhaqanga, Afro-pop and Afro-soul.
She will also perform Mhlongo’s rich catalogue which features hit single Amaphupho that has galvanised 4-million plus streams and airplay in premier radio stations including Metro FM, Ukhozi FM and Radio 2000.
“Mam Busi Mhlongo inspired the type of sound that I do and I have learned a lot about the spiritual musical journey through following her footsteps,” said Dube.
“She was always embracing the spirit of Ubuntu and fighting racism, tribalism, apartheid through music, and always diluting different sounds to educate the world about our cultures and values.”
Dube is in a mentorship process with the South African State Theatre incubator programme, where she is being profiled under the 2022/23 instalment.
She will be working with Simphiwe Dana, who has been mentoring her for the five-day show.
“When I went to see her [Dana’s] show [Moya], I had a chance to meet her team that is humble, grounded, professional and hardworking. They are a family more than colleagues and she has shown me how she is still relevant and leading in her craft.”
Apart from being a skilled musician, Dube has also won an award as an actress and aspiring director.
Her role in Shaka Zulu: The Gaping Wound earned her an accolade for Best Supporting Actress in the 2022 Naledi Theatre Awards.
She also appears in jazz maestro Zulu Mkhathini’s album titled Spirit Of Ubuntu.
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