COVER: Kelly Khumalo on her pursuit to global stardom
Building a brand as unshakeable as Kelly Khumalo’s takes grit. Courage to believe in the gift that one possesses and the stubbornness to push through the noise. And while many have crumbled under the numerous pressures that the industry presents, Kelly Khumalo seems to be rising above it all.
The star, who has amassed a very colourful career under her belt that spans over eighteen years since her debut album, has since won numerous accolades and pushed boundaries – cementing herself as a powerhouse of a vocalist. A fact no one can take away from her.
Her latest album release From A God to a King, that follows another dominant body of work dubbed Voice of Africa (VOA) that has received both gold and platinum status, is proof of this. A woman who has found her voice and is winning through it. And with so much to be grateful for, a thriving career, her well-being and recently giving birth to her third healthy bundle-of-joy, the current mental state that she finds herself in is called content, she shared.
“Judging by the way in which people have received this album, with the first song Bazokhuluma already sitting on a million streams in just three months, I would say this is an album that makes people feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. These are songs that speak to them,” she said.
Since Khumalo’s debut album TKO, with her first single Qinisela marking her spot, the years that followed were filled with tons of working hard that one could easily dub Khumalo as a workaholic. So much so that she worked right through her third pregnancy, and although she has since taken two weeks off to bond with her little one, the muso is itching to return to work.
“VOA had such a big impact in my career – I felt like it was the beginning (again) of my career, and I was only starting out.
“As an artist that always allows projects to take on their own life, I am extending the same courtesy to From A God to a King, keeping in mind that it is all about God’s timing. The current album is taking its own time to grow and it is a beautiful journey to watch, “ adding that she is working on visuals that will be released in a month’s time.
“When you look at Qinisela and you look at Kelly now, the growth is impeccable. You listen to the music back then and you can quickly tell that I was a young girl trying to find her feet within the industry. Now, with the maturity in my music, one can RECOGNIZE a woman who has found herself.
“The vision has not changed but has rather grown. I am still the same young girl that has a dream and I am still pursuing that dream. I don’t think I have arrived where I want to be,” she said. This dream, she shares, is to see herself as a global superstar; her music touching the masses beyond the African continent.
And to achieve this dream, which she believes she is well on her way to realising, requires her shutting out the noise.
“I am very intentional with who I am and what I believe in. I am highly anchored in myself and I never allow eternal voices to define my journey or me. And that has been one of the things that have kept me very strong in this cutthroat industry,” a quality she had to cultivate through the years, fighting for her spot as a credible artist.
And that has been her greatest assignment, to polish her craft while overcoming these external voices.
“That, hands down, has been my biggest achievement thus far. Being able to filter the noise that can sometimes hinder one’s growth, and realign myself with who I am on the inside. I think the minute I did that, I was able to cultivate the true me, and further excel in my craft. That has been, and continues to be, my superpower,” she said.
A proud mother, who is completely sold out to her career, Khumalo said these two entities weigh differently in her life and none takes preference over the other.
“The privilege of being trusted by God to bring humans into this world, is one that I am forever grateful for. That I have been entrusted with three souls to take care of,” adding that she is intentionally pursuing a new journey of parenting where her children are concerned. “My children are the center of all that I do. They inspire me to pursue greatness within my career and in turn, I am able to provide for them. It’s a win-win. What I wish for them is to be the best version of themselves, and I will make sure of that,” she said.
And while many might have their own descriptive words of who they think Khumalo is, she – on the other hand – could not find the words suitable enough to detail who she is.
“Young Kelly was never a nervous or anxious child. I think I have always maintained the same self confidence that I have today. So what I would say to her is that I am extremely proud that she has come this far. When I look at the journey and the things that Kelly has achieved, the things she has conquered – which are things that were meant to destroy her- I would say to her ‘you are one hell of a woman’.
“With all that I have overcome, with all that I have achieved, yeses there are no words close enough to describe who I am. Not even ‘Mbokodo (a term used to describe African women which means a rock solid and untouchable), can describe who I am to an acceptable extent.
“Sometimes I even look at myself in the mirror and wonder what I am, because I believe that I surpass all the words available that could describe who I am. I am larger than life,” she said.
