Born in the humble abode of Bizana in the Eastern Cape, Yolanda “Yallunder” Nyembezi’s climb up the ranks of fame and recognition has been one taken one cover at a time till her voice reached the ears of Grammy-winning DJ Black Coffee and BET Award-winning musician Sjava, who eventually signed her to 1020 Cartel. With projects such as Uthando Lwam (an EP) and Kum (2023) and a host of singles withHeavy K, Kabza De Small, and Oskido, Nyembezi has come along way.
The 2023 SAMA winner for Remix of the Year detailed her journey as a singer-songwriter, dubbing herself an accidental musician for whom life conspired in her favour toshape her into a songstress rather than everything growing organically and with single-minded intention.
“My love for music came from the family I grew up inwith my mom, my dad, and my grandparents. We grew upgoing to church, so singing was very much a part of my life. But the decision to take it up as a career came later on. It’s notsomething I dreamt about as a child as most children would do when they said they wanted to be singers one day – it didn’t happen like that. It was a matter of what was available at the time. I remember relocating from Durban to Jo’burg as a student and the only thing available to study was music. So, boom. In the middle of all the studying, I started doing covers and getting recognised. But if you’d asked me as a child if I wanted to be a musician, the answer would’ve been hhayi.” she said.
Hailing from the Eastern Cape, Yallunder named acclaimed afrosoul songbird Simphiwe Dana as her primary inspiration because of how well she has managed to retain her identity and true form. Withstanding the test of time and vacillating trends, Yallunder shared her thoughts on what has been key to Dana being able to turn heads.
“I love Simphiwe Dana for one reason: she’s consistent. She’s been the same Simphiwe since the days of “Ndi-ready”.Because when you’re signed to record labels, sometimes artists change the way they sound so as to keep up with what’s popping at the time. She, on the other hand, has been so true to herself that her identity is something you can’t fake. Musically, and outside, you can see just by looking at her thatyes, that is Simphiwe Dana, and so you know what time it iswhenever you come across her.” she said.
A canary versed in the classics and integrated into the contemporary scene, Yallunder conceded that aesthetics wasn’t much a focus for her. Instead, what she pinned her attention to was her music and the message behind it.
“I do music that doesn’t allow much, like getting the crowd to dance. I wish I could, but the thing about me is that I care mostly about delivering the message. That’s always my goal, because most of the time, that’s what people remember an artist for: their songwriting and how they make them feel.Stage presence, to me, is about being honest when performing, opening the crowd to show me how they feel,whether they are feeling me or they think I’m flopping.” she said.
The afrosoul singer recently was part of the Imibongo Tour held in Cape Town, alongside acts such as Digital Sangoma, and Thandeka Mfinyongo. She shared herexperience.
“Going into the show, I was prepared to meet a wonderful audience, which is what Cape Town has always been even though I’ve only performed there around three times. It’s very hard to keep up with a show of this magnitude. I remember this one time when the going was tough and there was no money and the tickets were not selling, and with all the stress you knew that you still had to perform that day. But we all got together and still made it work despite the complications because of our united front and shared love for the art.” she said.
The singer who named her SAMA win with MORDA for their song “Ndinovalo” as her career’s crowning moment, shared what plans for the near future looked like for her music.
“I want to do more shows. Outside being in studio and recording songs, one of my favourite things is being out and meeting new crowds, watching them sing along to my lyrics. That is a big thing for me. Another thing on my mind is doing more collaborations. Last year ended off with a bang with Kelvin Momo, De Mthuda, and Oskido. All those collaborations boosted my morale. My aim is to do more collabos like that to help me stay relevant and to keep people anticipating my next move.” she said.