Langa Mavuso on holding the fort for R&B and being awarded for it

The Citizen

08-05-2025

Mavuso was nominated for the Metro FM awards and the Urban Music Awards (UMAs) for Best R&B but only won the latter.
Singer songwriter Langa Mavuso spoke to The Citizen about holding the flag high for the R&B genre. Picture: langamav/Instagram
Being nominated at two different awards ceremonies for the same category is enough proof of an artist's relevance and place in the industry, especially in a genre considered dying in the country.
'It's always a good feeling when you are recognised and celebrated for your efforts. Music has been a great love of mine, and to be given the honour to say that I'm doing it well feels good,' R&B singer Langa Mavuso told The Citizen.
Mavuso was nominated for the Metro FM awards and the Urban Music Awards (UMAs) but only won the latter.
The UMAs, which celebrated South Africa's finest musical talents, were hosted at the Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria on Sunday evening.
Some of the night's winners included Uncle Waffles, named the Best DJ, Dlala Thukzin, awarded the Best producer, and the spiritual ensemble Soweto Gospel Choir, named the Best Gospel Act.
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Holding the fort for R&B
Mavuso's name is among the first mentioned when South African R&B is discussed.
'It's been beautiful to watch the resurgence of the genre in South Africa,' said Mavuso.
Mavuso's debut album Langa was released in 2020, and since then, he has grown in stature with every note he belts out.
Before that, he released what could be described as a modern R&B classic in Sunday Blues in 2017.
'When I first came onto the scene about eight years ago, many questioned whether there was a market for R&B, and we've soldiered through the years,' he says.
'We've seen a beautiful newfound appreciation of this kind of music, and I'm grateful to be a part of it.'
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Dabbling with Amapiano
In the past few days, Mavuso has been teasing a collaboration with Amapiano producer and DJ Yumbs. The collaboration will see the crooner singing over Yumbs' Amapiano beats.
'Yumbs is an incredible producer and also an alum from my high school. So when he called for a collaboration, it peaked my interest a lot,' shares the Lost Love singer.
Mavuso says he had fun creating the song Wena. Explaining the meaning of the song, Mavuso said it was about yearning.
'[The] song expresses yearning and missing someone you love. We get to experience a live performance of that song released this Thursday on Yumbs' YouTube channel.'
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