Mhani Machonisa's music is spellbinding

The music of the 41-year-old Tinyiko Nelly Ndlovu resounds with beats and rhythms that invite all lovers of Xitsonga traditional urban beats to take the dancing floor and express their happiness and joy through dancing and singing along.

The artist, who is known by the stage name of Mhani Machonisa, may be a latecomer on the Xitsonga traditional music scene, but her voice and sounds make her a talent worth listening to. She has so far endeared herself to thousands of music lovers in Vhembe District and parts of Mpumalanga and Gauteng.

“I fell in love with music at a young age, when I grew up listening to the music of Jaha rha Muchongolo and Gigela Boys,” she said. “Their music was not only rich with Xitsonga rhythms, but they infused it with good lyrics that relayed a very good message to families and youths out there.”

A resident of Chavani village near Elim, Machonisa has just released her full-length album, entitled Mhani Machonisa, which has also been doing well on the market. It comprises 12 songs, such Tana hi bula, Tekkie ra ni dlaya, Va ta dlaya hi kucina, Papa lava, Nghozi ka Chavani, and Mina na bomba.

She said that her musical journey started some decades ago when she sang in a family-led singing group. “I was one of the lead vocalists, but that was many years ago, when singing was just a pastime. In 2005, I revived my singing abilities and started singing at taverns during the Sunday Makhwaya shows.”

She met the talented producer Dr Nana, who saw her perform her unrecorded music at the local tavern during the Makhwaya show that was organised as part of the tavern's grand opening. “I exchanged contact numbers with Dr Nana and he urged me to visit him the following morning to record some songs that he would produce for me,” she said. “It was exactly like that, and that was the birth of the first half of the album. I recorded the other half at Dumi Mashimbyi's and Vuti Makhubele's studios.”

Mhani Machonisa's music is spellbinding and she can be reached on 060 789 0939.

Entertainment - Date: 16 December 2018

Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

Email: [email protected]