BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE- Manana is a name that has been circling for a while now in Africa’s budding R&B scene and because of this, he has earned himself over 60 000 streams and listeners on Spotify.
This was revealed in the end of year number report by Spotify give to international media outlets yesterday.
Spotify is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on April 23, 2006, by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon.
It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active users, including 195 million paying subscribers.
The soulful musician appears to have just emerged in recent years but is already off to an impressive start.
Introducing himself to the world with his debut project ‘The Beginning Was the End’, the 28-year-old went on to win his first Grammy for his songwriting credit on Burna Boys’ ‘Twice As Tall’.
Growing as a songwriter and performing artist almost in parallel to one another, Eswatini-born Manana is proving that there are no rules when it comes to going after what you want.
When he announced the news on his Instagram stories that are currently accessed by over 15 000 people, the singer said he really appreciated everyone who took time to listen and stream his work.
“It is humbling to be receiving such love from across the world; everyone is witnessing how much hard work I put into doing what I love.”
Having written for some of Africa’s biggest names, Manana explains how he makes the distinction between writer and performer.
“It is about putting the music first. When I write for other artists I always prioritize what the artist is trying to say with the song we are busy with and that helps me almost take me and my musical preferences out of the equation,”. He said.
His most notable writing credits include Sauti Sol, Burna Boy, Shekinah, and Ami Faku to name a few.
Manana born Ndumiso Manana, is a Swati RnB artist, now based in Switzerland. Manana is not just a formidable singer and poignant lyricist.
He has writing credentials on some beloved South African and African tracks. Having written for and worked with Ami Faku on Ebhayi and Amanda Black in Africa.
On his latest album titled ‘But could moments in between’, he bares his soul in song, while detailing the conflict of being surrounded by tangible miracles while carrying heartbreak within.
Manana has spent the time between his last release and this one building a formidable presence as an incredible live performer. Having returned from a string of sold-out shows in Johannesburg and making a notable debut at the Bushfire festival on his home turf in Eswatini, he noted that live performance is an integral part of what he does.
“I have always focused on making the experience of coming to a live show like listening to a new album. Making different arrangements for songs keeps it exciting and makes coming to see us live worth it,” he once explained.
Worth noting is that Manana is a multi-talented singer, composer, producer, and poignant lyricist, and he proved this last year during his second time performing in the country, this was during his ‘RNB and Sweats’ show, the show packed over 200 people at the Mbabane Theatre Club.
He would later say this about his showing the country “I would never be big for Eswatini, it is home my home and I’m forever grateful for my followers.”
