THEMBI MONA RETURNS HOME WITH NEW ALBUM BUY'ELEKHAYA

THEMBI MONA IS HOME AND THE MUSIC IS PROVING IT

If you have been on your timeline lately you have seen Thembi Mona everywhere. Not because of noise. Because people are actually pressing play and listening. Her new album BUY'ELEKHAYA is moving on platforms right now and the comments are not just numbers. They are people saying this sounds like me. This sounds like home.

The title says everything. BUY'ELEKHAYA means coming back home. And that is exactly what this season is for Thembi.

BUY'ELEKHAYA TRACKLIST The 9 track album is out and the titles alone tell the story.

1. Nkanyezi
2. Hamba Kahle
3. Emzantsi Africa
4. Thando Lwethu
5. Ndibale Nam
6. Khaniyizele
7. Ndiza Mtshini
8. Abantwana Bam
9. Khumbul'ekhaya

This is roots. This is love. This is healing. This is music made without trying to fit a club template.

WHEN THE SOUND FINALLY FITS I asked her what BUY'ELEKHAYA means to her and she kept it real.

"First, making Afro Soul, Afro Pop, Afro Folk and traditional music has always been my dream. I did house and dance music before, because of how I was treated back then. Now I am back to the genre I truly love. Second, I was away from home in East London for a long time. I was hustling, working full time jobs, and trying to break through in PE and Joburg. So when I got the chance to come back home and work as an artist, I took it."

You can hear that honesty in every song. The vocals have space. The instruments feel grounded. People are receiving it right because it does not sound forced. It sounds like her.

ABOUT MAN B AND CHOOSING HOME Thembi is signed to MAN B Music Entertainment, a company from the Eastern Cape that has been pushing African music excellence from home. That decision mattered.

I asked if signing with Man B was part of her coming home.

"Yes, working with Man B was part of me coming home. I did not hesitate when he called and said he wanted to meet. Within 2 to 3 days he booked me a flight so we could talk. I had been approached by Asanda Empire before, but he was unsure because of the Universal situation that was affecting my brand and my manager at the time. Man B approached me and showed that he would stand by me. That is why signing with him was easy. I have always wanted to be discovered here at home in the Eastern Cape."

She also spoke about experiencing difficulties in her journey, that slowed and caused confusion before, well that is behind her now. The focus is building from the Eastern Cape outward

WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW Thembi is not slowing down. She is currently on tour doing promo with her manager Sango and the energy is different. It is not just radio. It is sitting with people, playing the songs live, and watching the room react bar by bar.

Mark your calendar for this Friday. She is doing an interview and an unplugged performance on UMHLOBO WENENE 123 PHOLAS. Expect stripped versions of BUY'ELEKHAYA, real talk, and stories behind the songs you have not heard yet.

And on the 20th she shot a podcast interview for THE NAYFUL PODCAST. That conversation goes deep. From Phumleni village to Gqeberha in 2009. From stages with Cassper Nyovest, AKA, Zahara and Samthing Soweto. From winning Best Female Artist at SAUMA in 2017 to this full circle moment right now.

FROM DISCOVERY TO BUY'ELEKHAYA Along the way people discovered her through features and collaborations. Those songs helped introduce her voice to new audiences.

Some of those past records include Susakonke with DJ SK, Shumayela with DJ SK, Ubomi a 3step track with DJ Soso, Olothando Ndamase and Akhona Excellent, and Catchile with Coolkiid.

She told me she is being intentional now. "I don't want to flood ppl with my music neproducer enye." Right now the focus is BUY'ELEKHAYA and telling her own story, on her own terms.

WHY PEOPLE ARE CONNECTING Before BUY'ELEKHAYA, people already knew her voice from Ndenziwe, Uzondilanda, Second Chance, Mntanami, Usile and Sobonana Phambili. Her 2020 EP OLUHAMBO LWAM LUDE showed range.

But BUY'ELEKHAYA feels different. This is the first time she is releasing music fully on her own terms. Afro Soul, Afro Pop, Afro Folk, with touches of Jazz and R and B, all anchored in African identity.

That is why the streams are climbing. That is why playlists are picking it up. That is why when she performs unplugged this Friday, people will not just clap. They will sing back.

For bookings and enquiries MAN B Music Entertainment is handling things. But beyond the emails and the numbers, what is really happening is simple. An artist went back to the sound she dreamed of. She went back to the place she calls home. And the people met her there.

Keep watching http://ESPAZZA.XYZ for interview highlights and performance clips from UMHLOBO WENENE this Friday.