Thandiswa Mazwai makes ‘dream come true’ with Tiny Desk debut

Thandiswa Mazwai is beaming with pride after her debut on NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concerts.

The Tiny Desk Concerts series is one of the most popular series on YouTube for music lovers. The concerts, which typically run from 15 to 30 minutes, feature live performances by renowned musicians.

The singer performed her biggest hits.

“TinyDesk was one of those dreams come true for me and my fans. Thank you to globalFEST for hooking us up. The show was shot on a snowy day in DC this January. They usually ask that performances are kept to about 15 to 18 minutes. So we did about five songs, some of them shortened,” she told TshisaLIVE.

“Picking the songs for Tiny Desk was actually quite difficult because we have 30 years worth of music and people were asking for Thathisigubhu. It was really difficult but I think the songs that stood out the most were Nizalwa Ngobani, Abenguni and Ingoma.

“I really wanted to put those in the set because they seemed like the fan favourites, but we also wanted to add a song from my new album which is coming out in May this year.”

Thandiswa also performed her latest single Kulungile featuring Nduduzo Makhathini from her upcoming album Sankofa.

“Sankofa, in the Ghanian language Twi, means to go back and fetch what’s been left behind, what is important, what honours you, and what needs healing.

“Kulungile is about healing some of the traumas that we experience as children. Many of us have faced rejection and abandonment, sexual violence. This song is for that child within who seeks justice, comfort and healing.”