Latest news with #Unusual
News24
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Beyond the awards: The inspiring story of gospel singer Xolly Mncwango's musical journey
Gospel singer Xolly Mncwango won Best Female Artist and Best Gospel Album at the 2025 Metro FM Music Awards. She hopes her listeners will take away hope and inspiration from her music. Xolly reveals a touching moment she shared with an audience member, reaffirming her purpose in music. _________________________________________________________________________ Xolile Mncwango is witnessing the fruits of her labour in real time. Affectionately known as Xolly Mncwango, she has just come off two major wins in her career, bagging the Best Gospel Album for her sophomore project Unusual and Best Female Artist wins. Since the contemporary gospel singer's debut studio album dropped in 2020 after spending nearly a decade working with renowned gospel artists and choirs like Joyous Celebration and Benjamin Dube, Xolly's latest awards are a testament to her hard work and unwavering faith. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Xolly Mncwango (@xollymncwa) Xolly is undoubtedly one of South Africa's essential voices in the local contemporary gospel scene, touching heartstrings with impactful praise songs like Ungukuphila and Healing Power. Doing it for who she loves Xolly's collection of awards now includes a South African Music Award (SAMA) for Best Contemporary Faith Music, a Crown Gospel Award for Best Female Artist of the Year and Best Streamed Song along with her two Metro FM awards. While winning these awards are a formidable achievement on their own, Xolly's purpose with her artistry is all about lifting others through her faith and angelic vocals. Xolly tells TRUELOVE what she hopes her listeners will take away and learn from her music. 'I hope that my supporters will take away a sense of hope, inspiration, and encouragement from my music. I pray that my songs will touch their hearts, uplift their spirits, and remind them of God's love and presence in their lives.' She continues, 'I hope that my music will: Inspire faith and trust in God. Encourage perseverance through life's challenge. Provide comfort and solace in times of need. Remind them of their worth, value, and purpose. Ultimately, I hope that my music will be a reflection of God's love and a blessing to all who listen.' Xolly's inspirations in music 'My musical inspirations are a diverse group of artists my mentor and my producer who have shaped my sound, style, and passion for music. Siyanqoba Mthethwa: My brother who is also my producer for all my released albums. Yolanda Adams: A legendary gospel artist, her timeless voice and classic songs have taught me the importance of crafting music that stands the test of time. These people have inspired me to create music that is authentic, innovative, and impactful. Their influence has helped shape my unique sound and style.' Xolly dedicates her deserved success to her son, whom she says is 'a precious motivation for my hard work and legacy. Inspiring him through my achievements will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on his life. Leaving a legacy that shows him the value of perseverance, dedication, and passion will be a priceless gift that will shape his own journey and aspirations.' There's power in purpose Intentionality is at the heart of Xolly's music. Not only did she study music theory at Varsity College to better her understanding of her craft, Xolly's passionate vocals and the lyrics behind them have changed people's lives. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Xolly Mncwango (@xollymncwa) Sharing a moment in her career that reaffirmed her calling to music, Xolly tells us about one moment that stood out to her when performing a worship concert and saw the impact her music had on the audience. She says, 'As I sang, I noticed a woman in the front row who was visibly moved to tears. She was worshipping with abandon, and I could sense the weight of God's presence in the room. 'After the concert, she approached me and shared how my music had ministered to her during a difficult season in her life. She told me that my songs had brought her comfort, hope, and healing.' In that moment, Xolly knew that she was on the right path and is fulfilling her purpose as a musician.
Reuters
13-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Trump-linked small stocks pull back after rallying on family ties
March 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's re-election prompted a run-up in the broad stock market that has since receded. The same has happened in a number of tiny companies linked to the president's two eldest sons. In the last few months, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump have announced their involvement in several smaller companies ranging from the e-commerce, drone manufacturing and financial advisory industries. The announcements sparked a frenzy of buying in those stocks - generally thinly traded names with tiny market valuations and minimal revenue - only to give back most of those gains. Donald Jr and Eric Trump currently run the Trump Organization, the president's real estate company. Their association with smaller, publicly listed companies since the election indicates their interest in leveraging that win in the business world. On February 24, the duo disclosed a combined 13.4% stake in biotech firm-turned-financial advisory Dominari Holdings (DOMH.O), opens new tab, which is headquartered at the Trump Tower in New York. They were appointed to Dominari's board of advisers on February 11. Shares doubled after the announcement, but are now down about 6% since their appointment. More than 23 million shares in the stock traded a day before the announcement, LSEG data showed. By contrast, average volume in 2024 was just 13,000 shares a day, according to Reuters calculations. The Trump Organization and Dominari Holdings did not respond to requests for comment. Drone maker Unusual Machines (UMAC.A), opens new tab in November added Don Jr to its advisory board, who noted in a statement the need for America to "stop buying Chinese drones and parts." The company, however, said in a filing last year that it was heavily dependent on Chinese imports for products and operations. Allan Evans, CEO of Unusual Machines, told Reuters the company was making progress on shifting its supply chain to domestic production, estimating that Chinese imports would account for less than 50% of the supply chain by year-end. Shares jumped 260% on the news of Donald Jr's appointment, but have since fallen back. They are still up about 14% since the announcement for a market value of about $93 million. Dominari and Unusual share another link. Dominari was an underwriter in Unusual's IPO in 2024 and was its placement agent when it raised about $2 million in October in a private fundraising. Evans said Donald Jr joined the company as an investor in that private placement. He owned 331,580 shares of Unusual as of December, according to regulatory filings. Dominari reported revenue of $11.6 million in the first nine months of 2024, while Unusual posted about $3.6 million. James Wood, CEO of short-selling researcher Differentiated Analytics, said the companies were benefiting from the name recognition. The firm has a short position in PSQ Holdings (PSQH.N), opens new tab, which added Donald Jr to its board of directors in December. "The apparent purpose of these appointments is to drum up investor hype. I thus expect the bump in the share price to be ephemeral," Wood said. Michael Seifert, CEO of PSQ, which owns online shopping website PublicSquare, said Donald Jr's appointment was not due to hype, but a natural progression in his involvement with the company since first investing in it before it went public in July 2023. The company bills itself as "anti-woke," with a goal of connecting shoppers to brands aligned with the conservative movement, opens new tab. Upon Donald Jr's appointment, PSQ stock rose as much as 270%, but has since given back most of those gains; it is up 22% since the announcement and is worth about $87 million.
