BY PHUMZILE NDLOVU
MBABANE – Local Afro-pop vocalist Gezan’Emehlo, featuring NKT, will drop a new song on Monday titled eHhotela.
Gezan’Emehlo (20), born Meluleki Nhlabatsi from Bulandzeni, shared with this publication that this song is inspired by the reckless spending by people over the festive season.
When reached for comment, he said: “I decided to address the way people spend their cash recklessly during the festive season and end up broke in January. They tend to deny that they were the moneymakers in December. So social media came up with this question in January: ‘Baphi bo money maker?’ which was funny and somehow inspired the song to come to life.”
Nhlabatsi shared that, due to lack of funds, he could not afford to shoot visuals for the song, but it is something he is considering, and hopefully, by the grace of God, something will come up.
According to the artist, he doesn’t have an album yet but a single in preparation for an Extended Playlist (EP).
He added: “Since I’m into Maskandi, my favourite artist outside Eswatini is Khuzani. I like the sound of his music, and his personal life style is inspiring. Locally, Mshikishi is my favourite artist; I’ve never heard of any other Maskandi singer except him.”
Nhlabatsi shared with this publication that growing up in Bulandzeni, where nobody was doing the type of music he was doing, was hard, but having the likes of NKT helped him a lot and inspired him not to give up. “What I may say to other fellow upcoming artists out there is that it is not as easy as it seems to be, but your passion and love for music will help you stand firm in your craft,” said the artist.
When asked which has been his favourite performance, he said: “My favourite performance was last year in an event hosted by Swazi Dreamer around Bulandzeni, and the one I did in 2018 while I was still young, where I shared the stage with Mshikishi and NKT.”
Nhlabatsi revealed that he would love to work with Khuzani, Mshikishi, and Young Zesh in the future, as those are the great guns, and that he loves their music and the way they inspire others.
He also highlighted that the competition in the music industry is tough, especially in Maskandi. “Whenever I drop a song, I have to make sure it’s hit because I’m competing against Hip-Hop, Amapiano, and Afro-pop, which are very popular and powerful in the country and outside the country, so yeah, Kumatima,” he said. He concluded by saying: “I would love to thank God for blessing me with a powerful voice. I would also love to thank my parents for allowing me to express myself and do what I love. I am grateful. And I would love to thank Queen G, a fellow female artist who has always been by my side and encouraged me not to give up. My producer is the key and the reason I am here, so I am grateful to have him. To NKT, thank you so much, my brother, for taking your precious time to do this song with me. I really appreciate it, my guy. God bless you.”
