For anyone who will notice, musician Vusi Nova’s music carries one common trait that inevitably sees scores of fans lineup to be among the first to get their hands on whatever his latest offering is.
The Bay-born singer agrees his vulnerability – allowing himself to communicate his feelings honestly through song – is his open secret to keeping fans glued to his brand of Afro-soul.
And his latest album, Manyan’ Nyan, is as honest and vulnerable as it gets..
The album, which was released on August 17, is a sequel to the singer’s previous album, Nanini Na, which achieved double platinum status.
In Nanini Na, the hopeless romantic let his fans in on his love life, telling the story of his five-year relationship from when days were rosy to when things turned sour between him and his other half.
In Manyan’ Nyan, the star opens up about life after the break-up.
“The message this time around is that, even though I have been through so much in terms of my past relationship, I still believe in love.
“At the same time, I think everyone will have at least one song that they relate to,” he said.
The singer believes his life’s purpose is to make music for people.
“The stories of heartaches and breakups are not unique to me. These are things that happen to people every day and my music helps them heal, which I believe is why so many people fall in love with my music.
"My music is not only about my healing but about helping others to heal.”
The singer, who has been single for two years now, said tapping into his soul and sharing his pain had been extremely difficult but that it was necessary for healing.
While the album is mostly dedicated to stories about his love life, the artist also taps into other topics, including a message to his haters on the song Usezondibona, which features Zahara, and a tribute to his late niece in Gone Too Soon.
Other artists featured on the album are Ntando Bangani, Kelly Khumalo, 047, Bongani Radebe and Jessica Mbangeni.
“I just feel like there’s a lot of fakeness in this industry and there’s a lot of not wanting to be there for one another, so I tried to show some kind of unity by collaborating with quite a number of other singers,” he said.
As suggested by its title, Nova said the album was his truth.
His Port Elizabeth fans got a live taste of the new album at the Hats and Heels event held at the Boardwalk last Saturday. Manyan’ Nyan is available on digital and physical music stores nationally.