Ndu delivers ‘comfort and company’

For a few years now, Port Elizabeth audiences have been slowly warming to up-and-coming singer  Ndu From The Clan, from watching her perform in music festivals around the city.

Now they can enjoy more of her from the comfort of their homes as she releases her first EP later this month.    

The 27-year-old, full name Nondumiso Tshabalala, is set to release Break My Fall, an offering of four expressive songs she hopes will entice a wide audience, on June 26.

There are varying sounds ranging from afrosoul, deep house and RnB, and it is a combination of the music she’s recorded since she started singing in 2016.

Included is What If I Decide, a song previously released on hip-hop artist Lwaistar’s 2018 project, Love Letters.

“The EP is my interpretation of love, openness and different kinds of relationships.

“The songs specifically focus on a non-binary idea — I’m not talking to a man or a woman.

“I’m talking to an energy or idea [about] love, lust, relationships that fall through and expectations,” the singer said. 

Deciphering the title of the EP, Ndu From The Clan said her intention  was to offer the listener comfort and company on the days they needed to express themselves.

“Every time we find ourselves on our own, needing, we always hope or wish there was someone around who would be able to relate and carry our pain with us.

“So, with this EP, I created a collection of feelings and interactions with people at different times in my life where I felt like I needed someone to break my fall, to feel with me and be present,” she said.

The singer,  from Elukwatini in Mpumalanga, moved to Port Elizabeth in 2013 to study journalism at Nelson Mandela University.

While pursuing her diploma, she developed a strong connection with the city’s arts and entertainment circles which led to her decision to fully pursue music in 2016.

“I didn’t complete my journalism diploma because at the time I felt strongly about entertainment and wanted to prioritise my music.

“Even though I didn’t complete my diploma, I still write and review music and host events. So I’m still a journalist but I just decided to carve my own path,” she said.

Ndu From The Clan has collaborated with the likes of Mr Paulson, Afrotronixx and Miss Jay.

She performed some of the songs from Break My Fall at Port Elizabeth’s Mamela Arts Festival.

Break My Fall will be available on digital music platforms. It is produced by multiple artists, including Lwaistar, Swift and Deep McCent.

The artwork for the project is by Vendle Graphics.