He’s already released three impressive EPs over the past few years and Wandile Mbambeni is finally ready to give the world his debut studio album. The singer announced today that the highly-anticipated album ‘Kwakumnandi’ will drop everywhere on 29 June and has picked the title track as the lead single off the project.
The acoustic track is the perfect single to introduce the country to the star’s new era. His soulful vocals and emotional delivery makes the song unique and sonically, Wandile finds a spot within the R&B, jazz and alternative genres which makes for a great listen. The star also opted to use live instrumentals for the production instead of studio-produced beats which gives the track more soul and vibrancy.
“I was sitting in my studio apartment and homesickness struck. I was missing being under one roof with the whole family. We went through a divorce and it was never the same, but instead of reflecting on the bad past, I chose to reflect on the times that was absolutely nice and lovely to me,” Wandile tells us about what inspired him to write the song. “‘Kwakumnandi’ in isiXhosa is translated ‘it was nice/it was a lovely time’ used when referring to past happy times. I sing in the chorus ‘Kwakumnandi back then…’”
While ‘Kwakumnandi’ is a solid lead single, Wandile also has some tricks up his sleeve to ensure that he wows fans with the new album – and it’s his exciting collaborations with Shekhinah and Bongeziwe Mabandla. Wandile adds that “This album is about Nostalgia, reflecting on the good times. No matter what we can always say ‘Kwakumnandi’, everyone can say ‘Kwakumnandi’ and reflect :). We are not saying we do not love the present we are living in right now, we enjoy the present so we can reflect and say ‘Kwakumnandi’.” This is a release we’re really excited about.
Support local music and pre-order the album here: http://smarturl.it/WM_Kwakumnandi
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