Nduvho Ndou, also known as “Queen Nana,” released her debut house album, “The Review”, earlier this month. The 22-year-old singer from Tshivhuyuni in the Mashamba area says, however, that her music journey so far has not been a walk in the park.

“In this industry, we face all kinds of challenges. Mine were because of my gender. The local music industry is male-dominated. You are forced to work with men, and they often end up wanting relationships, something I am not interested in. I just want to make my music in peace. Others will tell you that you cannot rap because you are a woman,” she says.

Queen Nana also complained about exploitation by event promoters. “When I do a show, because I am a woman, I end up getting less than what we agreed on when I was booked. It has happened that I have received nothing,” she says.

Her new album is an expression of her love of music. “I love music because it heals me, and it calms me when storms brew. I find peace of mind through music,” she says.

Queen Nana fell in love with music at a young age. “I grew up playing the drums. Because I never got an opportunity to play drums in church, my parents decided to buy me a small set of drums, so that I could practise every day,” she says.

The album was recorded at Xinare Entertainment Records. All the songs were composed by Queen Nana, with Solly Mkhawane stepping in as a backing vocalist. The album contains 10 songs, including “It’s Too Late”, “Jwala”, “I’m in Love”, and “Ombaisa.”