Zee Nxumalo takes SA by storm as Mzansi welcomes SA’s next superstar vocalist
Since breaking into the scene with her first mainstream single “Pholile” featuring industry heavyweights Azana and Mlindo The Vocalist earlier in the year, Zee Nxumalo has firmly established herself as South Africa’s top new female vocalist.
After following up “Pholile’s” success by showcasing her versatility with back-to-back hit features on veteran Zulu Mkhathini and newcomer Bandros’ “Shay’moto” and “Nguwe” respectively, Zee is now taking the music industry by storm with her new collaboration with DBN Gogo and Shakes & Les titled “Funk 55”. Just a month since its release in late November, “Funk55” has already been streamed over 3 million times across various platforms and is fast becoming the song of the summer.
Speaking on the secret to her recent success, Zee explained: “I think it’s just consistency. It’s not always a matter of always making hits, it’s not about making big songs, it’s just consistency. It’s always being there at the studio sessions, photoshoots, promotional opportunities, and everywhere else I’m needed.”
Zee also shared how her trending hit single, “Funk 55”, which is currently one of the biggest songs in SA, came about. “Songs like this feel like they come directly from God. Just like with Nguwe, I didn’t write the song, it was a freestyle. I didn’t plan for it to come out that way. Funny thing is Funk 55 came when the Uber was waiting for me. We had requested and I was like Les let me record something quickly before I head out. So I did one take then I was done.”
Now, headed into 2024, Zee’s looking forward to dropping new music. She also shared that she’s looking forward to seeing her brand grow next year. “I feel like we’ve been cooking these pots and it’s now time to dish and serve the people. I’m looking forward to enjoying the fruits of my labour in 2024.”
BACKGROUND
Zee first burst onto the scene as a fresh-faced 19-year-old back in 2022 when she released her debut EP, “KwaNxumalo”. Since its release in June 2022, the EP has already garnered over 500K streams and has seen her featured and interviewed on platforms such as Morning Live, Massive Music, The Morning Show, The Sowetan, and IOL. She then followed that up with her latest project, “KwaNxumalo Deluxe”and her debut music video for lead single “Pholile 2.0”, which is reached half a million views on YouTube after within the two months of release and charted in the top 20 across MTV Base, Channel O and Trace.
