The 24-year-old is setting herself as an artist to look out for in the new year. She has released her debut single “Tell Me” announcing her arrival.
As a vocalist majoring in Jazz and Contemporary music, Noba, real name Nobantu Msweli, said that studying music has always been the goal and moving to New York seemed far-fetched initially, until she was accepted to study in the Big Apple and received immense support from her parents to pursue her dream.
“Music has always been my greatest passion. I had settled my mind and accepted that I’d study in South Africa but when I received an acceptance letter to study overseas, it was almost confirmation that I really should do this. My parents' support boosted me a lot, too,” she says.
Her time in the US has been a mixed experience and being away from her family has been difficult but she’s adapted to her new normal.
“Studying in the US has been a mix of things. It has been eye-opening, challenging, fun and rewarding.
“Initially it didn’t feel much different living abroad. I would come back home quite often and for long stretches. I wasn’t really immersed in American culture. Over time the differences came out more and more. The biggest shift was being without my family.
“But I believe I adapted so well due to being raised in the bustling city that is Johannesburg,” she shared.
The neo-soul artist describes her sound as a fusion of jazz and soul and is influenced by artists such as Jill Scott, Sade and India Arie.
She explains that she gets inspiration from anything and is able to come up with melodies that her lyrics match.
“I start singing the first thing that comes to my mind and build from there. The creative process is very surprising. At times it can be very intentional, with setting aside time over the course of a few days to write a song.
“Other times it takes experiencing life to finish off a song. But every time I finish a song I feel as if I’ve come full circle,” she said.
Noba wrote “Tell Me” at a point of confusion – frustrated at the lack of direction and clarity from a previous relationship.
“In the summer of 2019 I was going through a breakup and the song was born from that. I was frustrated at the time because I didn’t understand where the relationship was going and the lack of effort to ‘make it work’ was enough for me to make a decision to let go. I honestly didn’t expect it to hurt as much though,” she says.
Noba has high hopes for her career in Mzansi, with aspirations to become one of a kind soul crooners and a dream collaboration with Black Motion.
She’s not limiting herself though as she might dabble in a few unexpected collaborations in different genres such as Amapiano, Maskandi or even hip hop, showing her versatility.
In the new year, Mzansi can expect more from this musician as she grows more into her artistic expression.
“Just getting better and better! I am also so grateful for the year that 2022 has been,” she adds.