4 days ago
A new era of gospel music with award-winning singer Nontokozo Mkhize
From Best Newcomer to Song of the Year, Nontokozo Mkhize has made her mark in South Africa's music scene.
The rising star has quickly become a much-loved and sought-after name that has stretched beyond the world of gospel music in Mzansi.
Nontokozo's award-winning track Esandleni also made history in early 2025, surpassing Adele's Easy On Me on the music streaming site Spotify.
At the 2024 Metro FM Music Awards, she bagged the Best Newcomer Award and at the 2025 Basadi in Music Awards the award for Song of the Year, besting out hitmakers like Aya Msani, Zee Nxumalo, Bassie and Lwah Ndlunkulu. The songstress was also nominated in the Artist of the Year and Gospel Artist of the Year categories.
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'Song of the Year [is] huge. It's a gospel song among other genres. Yoh, ngiyabonga kakhulu,' she excitedly shares with TRUELOVE.
Nontokozo continues, 'I didn't think we would win. Last year, I got Newcomer, and Newcomer for me made sense and also it wasn't that scary based on the people we were nominated with. We were all newcomers. So, this time I was nominated with the real guns! But ke, God is good.'
Her unique raspy tone, coupled with meaningful lyrics and the spiritual energy that so much of South Africa enjoys, is what has made her so popular over the past year, adding a timeless essence to her craft.
Nontokozo credits her sound and her genre-bending fluidity to renowned singers like revered multi-award-winning singer Brenda Mtambo.
She tells us, 'Sound-wise I love mam' Brenda Mtambo, I love how flexible she is. If you know me, those will know that I fit into different genres - I try ... If you put [Brenda Mtambo] on a church song, she will nail it. Maskandi, she will nail it. Gospel, she will nail it. Soul, she's great.'
Brenda is also on her collaboration to-do list, as well as the globally recognised soul singer Lloyiso.
What can fans look forward to from Nontokozo?
Along with performing at DJ Zinhle's Zee Nation Fest on Women's Day, Saturday 9 August 2025, she says, 'We had a tour. A Lindiwe tour for my album, I did Playhouse and Gold Reef. We recorded at Playhouse so we're releasing that soon ... you can look out for that as well, and also maybe next year a new project.'
