Get to Know KWANDA: Where love, keys and calling meet
Signed to Nova Sounds, pianist and vocalist KWANDA opens up about faith, love, consistency, and the journey that led him from church keys to centre stage.
There is a gentleness to KWANDA that comes through even before the music plays. He speaks with gratitude, ease, and the quiet confidence of someone who knows exactly why he is here.
Now signed to Nova Sounds,owned by award winning singer Vusi Nova, the Queenstown-born pianist and vocalist is stepping into a new chapter — one shaped by faith, patience, and an unwavering belief in love as both message and mission.
KWANDA grew up in a Christian home where music was part of daily life. Both his parents are pastors, and the church became his first stage. Learning to play the keyboard was not optional — it was a way of serving.
“That actually made it easy for me to discover my talent and passion,” he says. “I had to learn how to play the keyboard for church.”
Surrounded by music, KWANDA taught himself by watching and listening. His brother, who played several instruments, became an early influence. Sitting in, observing, and experimenting helped him build his musical language organically.
While gospel laid the foundation, other sounds soon followed. At school, choir exposed him to harmony and collaboration, while artists like The Soil shaped his appreciation for Afro-soul. But at heart, KWANDA has always been drawn to love songs.
“R&B has always been my genre,” he shares. “Your John Legends. I loved the melodies and progressions. That’s how I learned to write my own songs.”
That love for love defines his artistry. “I am a lover at heart. I believe in love. I tell a good story when it comes to love.”
Growing up in Queenstown, KWANDA performed wherever he could — local competitions, festivals, and the Tamboekie Festival, where he returned year after year. Those moments planted the seed for music as a full-time calling.
After matric, he moved to Pretoria to study sound engineering, but music kept pulling him away. “I didn’t finish because music kept disrupting me,” he says. “The desire was just that big.”
Pretoria also opened the door to Idols SA. KWANDA entered twice, and in 2022, he reached the Top 16 — a turning point that helped grow his audience. He kept pushing, posting song covers online, refining his sound and building confidence.
Then came a moment that changed everything. Vusi Nova commented on one of his covers. A DM followed. Soon after, a meeting.
“That validated me,” KWANDA says. “It showed me that I was doing what I am meant to do.”
Today, working under Vusi Nova at Nova Sounds, KWANDA is deeply aware of how far he has come. “I don’t take this position for granted,” he says. “The industry wants consistency. Even if it takes ten years, consistency will pay off.”
His catalogue is already growing. Kangaka (released in 2022) continues to resonate, alongside his six-track EP Imizamo. He is currently working on his first full-length, 12-track album — a deeply personal project set for release this year.
One moment still feels unreal: performing on a stage in front of 50 000 people — and being recognised. “That was humbling,” he says. “If it wasn’t for bhut’Vusi, I would have never imagined myself in front of such a crowd.”
Away from the stage, KWANDA laughs about being a mischievous PK — creative, restless, and once unsure where to channel his energy. “I was the black sheep,” he admits. “But all those experiences built me.”
Fashion, festivals, and creative spaces continue to inspire him. But at the centre of it all is love.
“Every time I write, I preach the gospel of love,” he says. “Whether it’s heartbreak or new love, I want people to relate. I want to build a community of love — especially in this day and age where we need it.”
KWANDA | Supplied