Grab some tissues for Big Zulu’s emotive new album, Umkhulu

Siyabonga Nene AKA Big Zulu sets the scene with his 6th album titled Umkhulu which delivers 12 emotive tracks that will send the listener on a tearjerking rollercoaster.
The listening session was held at Emperor’s Palace in Johannesburg on 5 May and initially, guests assumed that he’s rebranding because umkhulu is the isiZulu word for “you are big.”

But it’s also the word for “Grandfather” and the musician talked the guests through how producer, Stallion likes to call him Mkhulu. This is a massive token of respect and appreciation because the term stems from how Inkabi Records “gave birth” to Stallion Records, making Big Zulu the “Grandfather” to the artists that belong to the latter stable.
“You’re Mkhulu because you’re a father figure,” one of the Stallion Records artists apparently told Big Zulu when the musician was starting to wonder if he was ageing before his time.

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The listening session opened with a glittery performance from Minenhle Sibiya AKA Star Healer who teased an upcoming track. She taught a few lines to the audience and led the house in song, turning the atmosphere into a celebration. Lwandile Mtshali AKA Lwah Ndlunkulu took over the mic, prompting the masses to get up and sing along to her award-winning Zulu harmonies. The audience could not get enough of her and after her energising performance, the first lady playfully announced that all that song and dance had messed up her hair and exited the stage ever so gracefully.

The man of the moment finally ascended the stage to unwrap the music. The artist engaged in a discussion with the MC, unpacking the stories behind the lyrics. He denied that track titled Nganginomngani is drawn from personal experiences, explaining that the song carries the pain of losing a friend to their inability to be true to who they were. “It’s about two friends who met in varsity, but they couldn’t make the friendship work because of their differing backgrounds,” he explained.
Big Zulu doesn’t perform but gives his guests a feast from the digital screens. He’s not overly theatrical in any of the videos, it’s just the musician, his music and scenic facial expressions that read like a conspicuously written novel of emotions.

The album is rooted in Ubuntu as Big Zulu features a lot of artists from his Nkabi Records stable and even gives props to Tsonga fans with the track Nkofu.

“It’s important to know what the lyrics mean so that when you say the words, you are able to understand what you mean. I had to learn and to make sure that the words roll off my tongue naturally,” said Big Zulu.

Scenic storyteller has painted a picture of what to expect from Big Zulu’s new offering. For the bigger picture, we dare you to indulge in the music which was released on 1st May.