Local musician and presenter Zulu Mkhathini recently released the visuals for his single “Lendlela'' from his debut album “Spirit of Ubuntu”.
In celebration of the visuals, it was only fitting that I catch up with Zulu Mkhathini to find out what has been up to during his hiatus.
During his interview with IOL Entertainment, Zulu Mkhathini shared more about his album, “Spirit of Ubuntu'' which he describes as a legacy project.
Yes, the musician has released an entire album. I don't blame you if you missed it, a lot has been going on.
There was not much buzz surrounding the 2021 release but there’s a reason for that.
Zulu explained that the project took four years to complete and its release was hindered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Two weeks after the album’s release Zulu spoke to his team about needing time out, hence there was no publicity tour.
“All the messages that are in the album are very heavy and they are very personal so they need me to be in a good mind space and emotionally,” he explained.
The album touches on gender-based violence (GBV), unity and positivity.
“If I'm going to speak about all these messages that are in the album, they really need me to believe and also be in the space to speak on it on that level,” he said.
“So we took a break and I think that’s also one of the reasons why a lot of people aren't aware of when the album dropped.”
The album is Zulu’s baby, something he is really proud of, and considering how long it took for it to come to fruition, who can blame him.
The album tells the story of Zulu's personal journey and serves as an outlet for him to say all that he needs to say, and he has plenty to say.
"It's a legacy project where I’ve grown and I wanna leave something of substance in the world rather than hit songs and just groove vibes,” he shared.
“As a creative I felt that if ever anyone goes back to my work or anyone wants to research who I am and what I was about, they must find something substantial."
The artist has been in the South African entertainment industry for some time and has gone through a few name changes as he navigated his way.
When he was a part of Durban group DreamTeam he went by the name Dash and after he left he became Zulu Mkhathini.
“Zulu Mkhathini is a combination of my music, my TV, my fashion and so forth. If you look at my journey I did those things at a certain time in my life, where now I’ve fused all those things.
Mkhathini is using his music to showcase the kind of creative he is and also himself as a businessman. He is signed to his own record label and has his own small team working to bring the vision alive.
He is much older now than when he first entered the industry and he has a better understanding of what he wants to showcase in the industry.
The creative has also been focusing on his clothing line Zulovski, which can be spotted in his music video.
It’s going to be a while before the public gets its hands on his range of clothing.
Mzansi celebrities are known for dropping surprise announcements, from pregnancies and births to weddings, so I asked if his fans should be expecting any from him.
When it comes to his personal life, Zulu Mkhathini’s not secretive about it.
He simply said: “I am in a space where I will share what I feel comfortable with at my own time.”
As to when he will be returning to screens, well the right show needs to come along, he says. Mkhathini was last on screen when he presented the Ultimate House Party.
For now, he is pushing his music. “Spirit of Ubuntu” is available on all digital streaming platforms.
The visuals to “Lendlela” are available on YouTube.