Voice2Rep artist Tsepo Oka Maseko delivers a stunning vocal performance on the track “Ngkhulume”.
One of several tracks on the album sung in Ndebele, Maseko’s huge vocal delivery really makes the subject matter of the sexual abuse of women hit home.
Born Tsepo Denzel Maseko in Bulawayo, he fell in love with music at 10 years old when he started singing in the Sunday School choir in church and later on received mentorship from senior church members. At age 17, he joined an acapella singing group, further honing his vocal skills. He was selected to be a 2021 Voice2Rep artist and chose Gender-based violence as the subject for his song on Vakuru.
Explaining the song “Ngkhulume” he says,
“It is about the sexual abuse of women in our country, especially at work and in schools. For example, if you want to protect your job as a woman, you have to sleep with your boss or if you want to get your degree as a woman at school, you have to sleep with your lecturer”.
“Ngkhulume” is an important rallying cry, given as we are in the middle of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
Featuring once again the production styles of The Zuu Collective, this time with an Afrotech and Afro house fusion, the song utilizes an echo effect on Maseko’s vocal, amplifying an already extraordinary vocal delivery, really driving the anti-GBV message home.
This track is an important one, and Maseko’s powerful voice is one to watch out for in the future. Representing the next generation, Maseko shows that the future of Zimbabwean music is indeed bright and in safe hands.
You can listen to this track and more on the “Vakuru” compilation album on streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube) or by sending a message to +27600806146 on WhatsApp.
