Nomfundo Moh Shares Her Insight On Her Journey Paved with Staying True to Self
Born in the humble terrains of eNdwendwe in KwaZulu-Natal, award-winning afropop singer-songwriter Nomfundo Moh’s music career has been steady walk to the top carpeted with authenticity and staying true to herself since turning heads with “Lilizela” and consolidating her rise with her chart-topping single “Phakade Lami” alongside Ami Faku and Sha Sha. At 24, the warbler’s catalogue already includes bodies of work such as her SAMA-winning debut Amagama (2022), Ugcobo (2023), and Twenty Four (2024), with her artistry earning industry award nominations from All Africa Music Awards, Basadi In Music Awards, and the Metro FM Music Awards.
“It’s been a humbling experience thus far. No major complaints. In this short space of time, I was able to graduate and get my first plaque for “Phakade Lami”. My music career started while I was still studying, and from there, I’ve won awards and done dream collaborations. There are too many accomplishments I’ve obtained along the way to count individually, and I’m quite grateful for this journey,” she said of her time in the limelight so far.
Nomfundo Moh | SUPPLIED
After the release of her third album last year, Nomfundo Moh has taken her voice back to the musical anvil to forge yet another offering, and this has emerged in the shape of her latest single “Ndizamshini”, which features genre-blending duo Blaq Diamond. Mellow and mellifluous, the song is a ballad tailored to the emotional and physical needs of lovers too far apart from each other to see one another on a regular basis.
Going against the grain of her image and branding as a mature young lady, who is also ahead of her time, the single presents Nomfundo’s youthful side, balancing the scale with accompanying visuals inspired by the cool kid aesthetic to appeal to the younger audience. She spoke about the song.
“The song came about because I wanted to put myself in the shoes of lovers who are in a long-distance relationship and to understand how to overcome the issues that come with that. The vibe in the studio while making this song was actually nice. I recorded my side of the song alone in studio before I sent it over to the guys, Blaq Diamond, to add their own bit to the song,” she said.
Watch “Ndizamshini”:
Time holds the keys to the evolution and to the life cycle of everything, from healing and death to maturation and expiration. Moh spoke about the importance of listening to the cues of time, and how she’d always eyed a collaboration with the “Summer Yo Muthi” stars for years as she waited for the right time.
“Working with Blaq Diamond was amazing, and I actually always wanted to do something with them, but I’ve also always been a firm believer in things happening at the right time. Everything has its own time, and you can’t force anything, especially when the timing feels off. My debut [Amagama] dropped in 2022, and I had already had it in my heart to try something with them, but back then, time just didn’t allow for it. But when I started working on this record, I knew right away that I wanted nobody else on this song but them, and they were easy to work with too when it came to them contributing because they too are in the afropop space,” she said.
Nomfundo has credited staying true to herself as the cornerstone of her success and excellence.
“I believe that one of the most authentic people you’ll ever come across. So one legacy I’d say I’m confident about leaving behind is authenticity. I think authenticity is important. Do not try to change yourself because you think people will not accept you based on where you come from. People accepted me as a small girl from emakhaya, and they embraced my sound because I spoke to what I know and used my native language. And it humbles me when people from other parts of Africa and all over the world say that even though they may not understand my words, they still feel my music,” she said.
Nomfundo Moh | SUPPLIED
Nomfundo highlighted how critical adapting was to the evolution of an artist and their craft. With her already practising what she preaches such exploring amapiano on “Uyazkhohlwa” and also touching other realms such as maskandi, the songstress shared her insight about remaining genre-fluid without forsaking one’s core identity.
“Versatility is very important as an artist. Whether you do afropop or amapiano or jazz, it’s important to be able to adapt to whatever sound requires from you. If there’s an amapiano song presented to you but it’s not your sound, just try. Jump on it. You never know, it could be one of your biggest songs. This is not to say you must abandon who you are and your style. Just explore, because that will help you to grow,” she said.