Get to Know Umzulu Phaqa, the Zulu Pop Sensation Setting Her Own Bar
Rooted in the lands of Manderstone in KwaZulu-Natal, Afro-fusion singer-songwriter Umzulu Phaqa has been making waves on the socials with snippets of her extended play, Volume 1, over the past several weeks. Packaging Zulu pop with the wrapping paper of authenticity and fastening it with her heritage, the singer, born Sphiwe Moya, is one of the most promising buds to sprout in the new wave of pop vocalists in South Africa, coming in hot with dynamic performances, grounded songwriting, and original aesthetics.
The rising star shared how she pivoted to making music during the coronavirus pandemic, creating content at a time when life had become entirely digital.
“I grew up going to church and had a typical childhood like anybody else. To be honest, I don’t know how I got here, so I would say my presence here is a result of life’s natural flow. What I remember most is pushing music on social media during the COVID-19 days, content that eventually got traction online. I used that momentum to continue putting more of my energy into making music,” she said.
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Umzulu Phaqa spoke about keeping herself open-minded and keeping her taste from becoming too monolithic by not boxing her artistry in one category. She also talked about the importance of appreciating different kinds of sounds as they were and allowing them to guide her to newer paths of hybrid creations.
“I am somebody who likes music and is not choosy about what I listen to. I don’t have a specific genre, because I take in what my ear likes. Having that kind of taste towards music also influences my interest in different kinds of sounds and genres. I end up bending genres and dabbling because I have an understanding that there are no limits in music. We are not forced to be amapiano artists exclusively or to simply be known for making gospel music. You can be whatever you want to be and make whatever you desire, and I think that’s where the fusion part comes in for me. Allowing the creativity to take you wherever it wants and you being okay with that,” she said.
The singer shared how Cameroonian multi-instrumentalist and singer Richard Bona had an impact on her and how she saw the craft of music.
“Richard Bona is an artist I listened to a lot during the early stages of my taking interest in music. I’ve always admired the discipline of being able to sing while playing the bass guitar. I’ve also been interested in how, even though all of his songs are in his native language, I found myself singing along to them word-for-word while feeling them. Bona is someone I could say I wanted to be like, and I think it would be cool if I could work with him one day and have him produce one of my albums,” she said.
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The musician stressed the importance of living life for herself first and not prioritising being an example to follow and setting burdensome expectations on herself.
“I feel like the desire to inspire people is too much pressure to put on yourself, so I don’t make it my motto. I want to be myself to the fullest, and I know that in itself is probably inspiring to someone out there without me making that a goal. If I don’t inspire anybody, that’s also okay because life doesn’t revolve around me anyway. Ultimately, though, being myself is the most important thing to me and doing things that are true to my journey as a person.
“As an artist, there’s always this pressure of needing to be perfect and to be a role model, but all those things are unnecessary because we are all people and we are doing this life thing for the first time. So if you see me crying for whatever reason, that’s me being myself in that moment. If you see me excited and basking in glory, that’s also another side of me being myself. That’s what I’m all about,” she said.
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Concerning her greatest achievement, Umzulu Phaqa echoed the sentiment of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.” She talked about the travails of making music and the satisfaction behind the two opuses she has released thus far.
“People think putting out music is really easy, but it isn’t. Before the current album and the one I made before it, I had three albums in the vault that will never see the light of day. The process of recording and mixing music, finding and pairing with someone who believes in your music taste, and also finding people to help you put together visuals and admin—those things aren’t easy. Those things are achievements on their own. It’s such a big accomplishment for me to even be two projects deep, especially as someone who is indie, pushing out my work, promoting it, and rolling it out. Being able to put myself out there is something I’m proud of,” she said.
True to her down-to-earth nature, Umzulu Phaqa reflected on how she saw herself and her life as a burgeoning public figure.
“Outside of music, I’m a regular person like everybody else. Got bills to pay, a house to clean. Nothing different from everybody else. Even though I make music and I’m known, I don’t see myself as someone different from other people, and I don’t see my life as something more special than another person’s just because I’m known,” she said.