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Nomfusi – PE’s Lucky Charm

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Kwazakhele, Port Elizabeth born singer and songwriter, Nomfusi, is continuing to make a name for herself.

Nomfusi was born in the township of KwaZhakele, Port Elizabeth. Her single mother, Kwazibani (translated: “Who knows?”) raised her, whilst her father languished in jail for 21 years. A domestic worker by day, Kwazibani was also a sangoma with a gift for music.

Nominated in two categories of the 2010 Metro FM Awards, including Best Female Artist, 2011 year promises to be another stellar year for Afro-soul star Nomfusi. Bookings are flooding in from Europe and North America, and soon she’ll be embarking on her seventh international tour. Not bad for an artist who launched her debut just more than a year ago.

Nomfusi and her township band, The Lucky Charms, will board the plane for The Hague in July, to peform with a sixty-piece orchestra at the Festival Mundial. The show will include orchestrations of nine original works from her debut, Kwazibani. “It is such an honour,” she says excitedly, “it is the second time I will be singing with a full orchestra, it’s just great that this time around I will be performing a full length show with eighty per cent of my own material!” Doors have opened after her invitation last year to Womad in England, with more opportunities from Portugal, Austria and Norway.

She’s writing material for her new album, which Universal commissioned recently, but also looking forward to co-writing with other composers all over the globe, a privilege bestowed by her publishers, Universal Publishing. “Being part of a big family like Universal, makes it possible to work with writers in Amsterdam, Toronto, New York and basically everywhere we tour. Meetings are set up for us at all these destinations, which is a great way of networking.”

The globe-trotting diva and her band will soon make the move from Cape Town to Johannesburg, where her manager and producer, Philip de Villiers, is now based. “Having a bigger presence in Gauteng will put Nomfusi’s career in the fast lane. We are already getting bookings in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Free State since her management relocated to Joburg. Being here brings us much closer to these lucrative markets,” he says.

Nomfusi says “2011 is the stuff dreams are made of! I’m sure we’ll see all our efforts made in 2010 pay off this year.”

Nomfusi
Nomfusi

See: Nomfusi – Another Port Elizabeth Songbird Flies.

Purchase the Kwazibani CD.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.