With a strong educational background in jazz music, rising star Viwo Kulati is set to make her mark in the music scene with the release of her debut EP, “Love”.
Although not a gospel project, Kulati said her new body of work was inspired by the “book of love” in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13.
“The project is also inspired by my observation of how people need love. We often put other things on a pedestal forgetting that we are a people that need love, and we are incomplete without it,” shared the star.
“The Bible also says that everything else iyaphela (has an end) but love is eternal. In short, the EP is based on that entire scenario. The EP is, however, not a gospel genre but an R&B and soul genre.
“This project is a result of the many experiences that continue to shape and nurture my childhood passion that began in my home town of Makhanda, where I had an opportunity to study music in high school.”
According to Kulati, fans can expect breathtaking vocals, rhythm and lyrics with songs like “Ungowami”, which has easily become one of her favourite songs on the five-track EP.
“I love it because it is entirely in isiXhosa. It is the song that helped me conquer one of my lifelong objectives and challenges.
“The song came about as an idea which was also a chorus in the year 2016. However, I could not really finish the chorus because I did not know how I wanted it to sound. But then I spoke to my producer, Wilson Okafor, and we started working on it and the words just came to me and we put it together. From there onwards I fell in love with it.”
Having launched her musical career in 2015, Kulati worked as a backing vocalist for award-winning songstress Zonke Dikana for more than two years.
“I began my music career professionally in the year 2015, then I did some backing for big artists such as Zonke. I then left afterwards and began doing my own thing.”
“Love” is available on all digital platforms.