Celebrate the Release Live at Emperors Palace on 13 June
Multi-award-winning South African singer-songwriter Bongeziwe Mabandla has announced his new album, Ndingubani, arriving on 11 June. The announcement follows the release of lead singles “Walila”, “Zama” and “Yalwa” both of which have connected strongly with listeners, earning praise from fans while building momentum across streaming platforms and radio. His audience has been especially vocal on social media, sharing lyrics and celebrating the honesty and vulnerability in the new music. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and has only added to the excitement surrounding the album’s release.
With anticipation for Ndingubani continuing to build, fans won’t have to wait long to experience the new music live in Gautneng. Just two days after the album’s release, Mabandla will take to the stage at Emperors Palace on 13 June for what promises to be one of his most special South African performances yet. Fresh from a run of headline dates across Europe, the UK and South Africa, the show will mark an opportunity for local audiences in Johannesburg to hear songs from Ndingubani performed live.
Meaning “Who am I?” in isiXhosa, the album is Mabandla’s most introspective work yet, reflecting on identity, healing and the experiences that have shaped his life and music. Pre-save it here: https://africori.to/ndingubani
Written during a period of personal reflection, Ndingubani draws on many of the moments that have defined Mabandla’s journey, from growing up in rural Tsolo in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, to leaving home in pursuit of music, navigating betrayal and hardship, and finding hope through storytelling and song.
The album marks Mabandla’s fourth collaboration with producer Tiago Correia-Paulo. Over the course of their long-running creative partnership, the pair have developed a distinctive sound blending folk, African songwriting traditions and neo-soul, creating space for Mabandla’s voice and deeply personal lyricism to sit at the centre of each song.
Across the album, Mabandla moves between vulnerability and resilience. The new lead single “Libambe Lingatshoni,” serves as an entry point into the album’s deeper themes of identity and self-reflection.
The song “Ndikhulule (Depression)” confronts the weight of trauma and emotional exhaustion, imagining pain as a prison. The lyrics open with the line “Pain let go of me, how long have I been here?” before the chorus offers a fragile glimpse of hope, the possibility that the prison gates might finally open.
Elsewhere, “Zama” traces Mabandla’s life journey through the places that shaped him, from rural Eastern Cape to boarding school far from home, and later Johannesburg, where he pursued music while searching for opportunity and belonging.
Themes of legacy and destiny appear in “Yalwa,” inspired by the historical drama Shaka iLembe and the powerful role Shaka’s mother played in shaping his future. The song becomes a tribute to Mabandla’s own mother and the sacrifices that help shape a life.
Moments of gratitude and perspective also run through the album. “Kude” reflects on how far Mabandla has come, following a period in his life when he faced a cancer scare and the renewed sense of perspective that followed.
The album also features a collaboration with Cameroonian singer-songwriter Blick Bassy on the song “Ndije,” which explores self-acceptance and learning to embrace the parts of ourselves we once struggled to understand.
Over the past decade, Mabandla has become one of the leading voices of a growing Black Alternative scene emerging from Africa, alongside artists such as The Cavemen, Msaki, and Blick Bassy, artists helping redefine contemporary African music by blending traditional influences with neo-soul, folk and alternative sounds.
Working largely as an independent artist, Mabandla has steadily built an international audience while maintaining a deeply personal creative approach. In recent years he has performed sold-out headline shows across Europe, the United States and South Africa, while appearances on global platforms such as COLORS Studios have introduced his music to new audiences around the world.
Mabandla is a three-time winner of the South African Music Awards, and has also received a Metro FM Music Award and a Feather Award. Ndingubani will be released on 11 June via Black Major, marking the third album Mabandla has released in partnership with the South African independent label and management company.
Don’t miss Bongeziwe Mabandla live at Emperors Palace on 13 June, two days after the album drops. Tickets and full information are available at www.bongeziwe.com
