Zama Khumalo
In and out, people are either standing to take their orders or are seated conversating about their daily activities, either way there is a buzz in the air. Seated outside of Starbucks couches on Florida Road with bubbly and beautiful vocalist, Pietermaritzburg native singer/songwriter, Nonjabulo “Nonji” Ndawndwe, alongside Music manager, Zandile while we wait for the arrival of the duo that is Colours of Sound.
A tall gentleman with a yellow jersey and jeans walks in first, Sfiso Khumalo who is known as “the instrumentalist” of the duo and then followed by a second gentleman, Yanga Mzayiya wearing a pink shirt with a denim jacket and jeans, who is “the DJ” walks into the vicinity, both of them smiling and giving out positive vibes, signalling that everything may commence.
One of the most magical things to happen to a musician is when all of their blood, sweat and tears eventually pays off and people recognise their craft.
Forming a song, with song bird Nonji for their song “Rainbow” also vilified the fresh new sound that is hitting the airwaves. Colours of Sound are the living testament of that and keep proving in more ways than one why they are a duo to reckoned with.
The beauty of music is the collaboration that happens and with it, you never know what masterpiece can be formed from it all. Award winning House music vocalist Holley Rey, featured on the phenomenal song “Joy” and it showed how the duo truly lived up to their name by bringing such colour to their sound.
“We were performing at Unique Lifestyle in Umhlanga and Holly was performing straight after us. We then proceeded to try our luck and DMed her, turns out it worked in our favour,” Sfiso says.
He adds on by saying “We did research on her to making sure the sound goes according to what Holly is all about. I do the beat, Yanga did the final touches and it was sent to her. Then the rest is history.”
Speaking of history, it is quite interesting to see how Nonji and Colours of Sound came together. Ironically enough, Holly Rey had a huge helping hand in all of this. It is always beautiful to witness when artists are able to help one another because she is the reason why Nonji and Colours of Sound were able to collaborate together. She initiated that the duo should check out her sound because she knew that they will definitely resonate with it.
Laughing at how their collaboration happen, Nonji says “All I know is that I got a DM.”
Sfiso interjects by explaining that ” Holly told us about her and that she would be a good fit for the sound we always strive for. This is how the magic all happened.”
The music industry is ever changing and it is great to see that there is a shift that is taking place. It is quite daunting to be in an industry, where comparisons are bound to happen making it hard to sometimes stick out within a pool of other talented musicians.
“I am extremely happy that there is a shift within the music industry because people can accept that there is a new sound. It also speaks to the calibre of the type of music there is out there because you only have 30 seconds to prove yourself, as the audience you are catering to can be extremely picky on the sound it chooses to listen to,” Nonji explains. Indeed a true statement!
Through the struggle that they have endured, it’s great seeing that it has been a humbling experience for them and growth came out of it all.
“When we look back at the journey that we have embarked on, it was not an easy one at all. We weren’t sure as to where we would perform at, how we would arrive there and many other issues that arose from when we started. All we knew was that we had to have the faith to stick it out, overall it has been a worthwhile journey,” Yanga mentions.
He adds on to say “The one thing that has kept us going strong would be our love for punctuality. If you tell us to at a specific place, at a specific time we will make sure that no matter what we will get there on time.”
Wanting to head the same direction as the duo, it’s rather simple, being passionate about your craft and learning as much as you can is key to ensuring a bright future.
“Learn about the industry that you are in, treat it like a business. You are a brand at the end of it all and people should treat you like one,” Nonji explains.
The future looks bright for the duo, as they want to open up a music school and teach others how to play instruments, as well as educate their future learners about the music industry.
“We will take anyone to ensure that no one is robbed of this opportunity and we want to do more collaborations in Africa,” says Yanga.
As for Nonji, it is fairly easy as she wants to collaborate with more females in the industry and are proving that they have what it takes to get ahead.
“I would like to collaborate with Sanele aka aka Sun El Musician. What he has done so far is astounding and I feel that I can definitely resonate with someone on that level,” Nonji explains.
We cannot wait for more offerings that the duo and Nonji will bring in the future.