Singer-Songwriter Dinky Kunene On Her Journey As a Vocalist, The Creation of “Udlala Ngam” and Exploring Her Versatility
It is often coined that stars are made and never born, but for singer Dinky Kunene, the formula is a dichotomous one, with both instances being true that she was born to be a star before being made into one. Born Dalene Swartz, the Ennerdale songbird’s pursuit of music led her to various singing competitions, including South Africa’s longest-running singing competition, Idols SA. After trying out her luck a few times, she stumbled on a purple patch on season 15, where she notched her best run, reaching the top 9.
Post-Idols, the singer has released several projects and singles that have gone on to live in the hearts of her fans. Even though she’s still finding her feet, music coursing through her veins, the inheritance of being a child born to parents with souls that sing, is evident in her understanding of music and the steady progress she continues making. Her background is what she cites as being key to how she’s been able to harness her singing abilities.
Dinky Khunene | SOURCE X (Twitter)
She recently dropped her newest single “Udlala Ngam’” with Omit ST, and talked shop about the quickfire creative process behind the making of the song.
“We usually just hop in the studio and make some jams without necessarily aiming to make a particular song. We just go with the feeling, and I was feeling some type of way when “Udlala Ngam’” came to be. Omit and I are good friends, and I pull up to his studio quite frequently, and it was one of those songs I felt should come out.” she said.
When it comes to shaping her sound, she singled out amapiano star MDU aka TRP, who held her hand through the process of integrating into the music industry. And even though she admitted that her influences were eclectic and that she’d love to one day experiment on R&B, TRP remained at the top of her list.
“MDU aka TRP is someone I look up to. I didn’t know much about the industry until he showed me the ropes and introduced me to enough people for me to sustain a career. When it comes to influence, I don’t have a direct pick, but I grew up with the sounds of Mafikizolo, Malaika, Freshlyground, Jennifer Hudson, and Whitney Houston. Their voices are amazing. But when it comes to my genre, it’s definitely MDU aka TRP. He taught me how to be versatile and to explore beyond my comfort zone.” she said.
Aware of being alive at the peak of the digital and social media age, Dinky stressed the importance of keeping up with the trends and the latest tricks to stay on top of the game. An advocate of the adage “practice makes perfect”, she didn’t shy away from the effectiveness of the truism.
“You need to first reach your ceiling, but you can’t do that until you keep pushing. A voice is something you can grow. It’s important to do warm-ups and to allow your voice to cool down after a performance because those things are vital when it comes to protecting your voice. Practising the craft is also important, and learning more about it.
“For example, I’ll do amapiano while still exploring other genres and avenues and pushing myself because I’m a big music lover. Plus, we live in the age of TikTok and YouTube, so there’s always someone out there from whom you can learn how to refine your craft.” she said.
Of all the songs she’s done, she conceded that “Wena Dali” alongside Murumba Pitch is one of her all-time favourites, and chats about new music saw Kunene admit that the end of the year would be a tame one for her, with an album only coming out early 2024.
“The reason why this song is one of my favourites is because it grew organically. There was no hectic social media push and marketing strategies behind it. People just started vibing to it and what warms my heart is that my part of the song is the one that people scream along to when I sing it so that’s one of my top songs. As for new music, I don’t have anything long coming out soon. We’ve already reached the end of the year, so I’m trying to do another dance single. There’s no EP or album. If we’re looking at albums, that’s something for next year March or April.” she said.