There is a new soul sistah in the house. Her name is Khonaye and she is sassy, sensual and soul-stirring.
Her single, Zibuya Nini, which has just been released to radio, is set to propel her to the high table of soul royalty in South Africa. And the formula of her success will give her longevity - she has a good team around her.
After years of trying to break into the industry and failing, Khonaye, 22, resigned herself to singing at church. But she was thrown a lifeline by The Soil front man Ntsika Ngxanga who not only wrote music for her, but signed her to his new label Nomadic Tribe.
This can only augur well for her as she will enjoy the luxury of mentorship from an international singing sensation and protection from the wolves of the cut-throat entertainment industry. For the last year Khonaye, whose real name is Anelisa Blom, has been cocooning and plotting her takeover with Ngxanga and now she is ready to be unleashed.
The Cape Peninsula University of Technology human resources management student was born in Mdantsane near East London but grew up in Cape Town, where she is also based.
It's her mother's music selection at home that made an everlasting impact on her, falling in love with Miriam Makeba, Simphiwe Dana and The Soil.
"Music is life. I associate it with life. I take my emotions to music when sad or happy," she says.
She says she chose human resources on the insistence of her mother and brothers, besides she likes to talk and saw it as an opportunity to present in front of people. But at varsity she joined the Art Society, dabbling in music and drama.
She is in her final year, left with some months of in-service training.
Khonaye has moved to Johannesburg to collaborate with Ngxanga.
"When I came to record last year, I came with my best and he did the rest. It was his genius. It's God's anointing," she says.
Regarding her music and comparisons to the likes of Dana, Khonaye is philosophical. "I can't categorise music or say it sounds like so and so. For now this is what I'm giving. I try to be myself and it would be an honour to be compared with others."
So far her songs Zibuya Nini and Wenyuk'uMbombela have whipped listeners into a frenzy.
Sassy Khonaye set to rock local soul scene
There is a new soul sistah in the house. Her name is Khonaye and she is sassy, sensual and soul-stirring.
Her single, Zibuya Nini, which has just been released to radio, is set to propel her to the high table of soul royalty in South Africa. And the formula of her success will give her longevity - she has a good team around her.
After years of trying to break into the industry and failing, Khonaye, 22, resigned herself to singing at church. But she was thrown a lifeline by The Soil front man Ntsika Ngxanga who not only wrote music for her, but signed her to his new label Nomadic Tribe.
This can only augur well for her as she will enjoy the luxury of mentorship from an international singing sensation and protection from the wolves of the cut-throat entertainment industry. For the last year Khonaye, whose real name is Anelisa Blom, has been cocooning and plotting her takeover with Ngxanga and now she is ready to be unleashed.
The Cape Peninsula University of Technology human resources management student was born in Mdantsane near East London but grew up in Cape Town, where she is also based.
It's her mother's music selection at home that made an everlasting impact on her, falling in love with Miriam Makeba, Simphiwe Dana and The Soil.
"Music is life. I associate it with life. I take my emotions to music when sad or happy," she says.
She says she chose human resources on the insistence of her mother and brothers, besides she likes to talk and saw it as an opportunity to present in front of people. But at varsity she joined the Art Society, dabbling in music and drama.
She is in her final year, left with some months of in-service training.
Khonaye has moved to Johannesburg to collaborate with Ngxanga.
"When I came to record last year, I came with my best and he did the rest. It was his genius. It's God's anointing," she says.
Regarding her music and comparisons to the likes of Dana, Khonaye is philosophical. "I can't categorise music or say it sounds like so and so. For now this is what I'm giving. I try to be myself and it would be an honour to be compared with others."
So far her songs Zibuya Nini and Wenyuk'uMbombela have whipped listeners into a frenzy.
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