South African vocalist Zee Nxumalo, recently named to the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 list and currently on a multi-city Australian tour, has opened up about the studio conditions that fuel her hits, her reaction to industry recognition, and why she believes artificial intelligence (AI) will create new fault lines among musicians.
Recent Milestones
In the past month, Nxumalo has added several career markers. She was included in the 2024 Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 cohort and embarked on a tour of Australia with stops in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. She also won Artist of the Year at the Based Music Awards, a result that arrived after a high-profile awards season in which she was nominated in seven categories at the Metro FM Music Awards but left without a trophy.
“The [Metro FM Music Awards] are something that I grew up admiring, I used to watch all my idols. I don’t hate them for what they did,” Nxumalo said in a June interview. She was also nominated for Best Female at the South African Dance Music Awards in 2024.
Creative Process and Collaborations
Nxumalo’s breakthrough came through a series of high-profile partnerships. After introducing herself in 2022 with the Afro-pop EP KwaNxumalo, she connected with amapiano pioneers MFR Souls and later delivered a standout feature on Shakes & Les‘s “Funk 55,” a track that became one of 2023’s defining songs. Her lazy, almost hesitant delivery on the record, where she rhymed “Rossimoda” with the Soweto colloquialism “Msotra,” was born from a spontaneous studio moment.
“I didn’t know them, they didn’t know me. We just happened to be in the studio together. The Uber was literally outside, waiting. The beat to ‘Funk 55’ was very different from anything I’d heard. They were like, can you please give this a try? I literally put on the headphones, and I was freestyling the whole song. Then I left.”
That same instinct for low-pressure creation shaped her work with Dlala Thukzin. The two released the collaborative EP Izinja Zam: Vol. 1 in May, a title that nods to TKZee Family‘s classic “Izinja Zam.” Their partnership began with the 2024 single “Ama Gear” and was built on an early agreement: Nxumalo would come to the studio regularly, with no expectation that a finished song would emerge.
“[He] was a bigger artist than I was when we met. I’ve always looked up to him in that sense. He had ‘iPlan.’ Every time he used to call me to the studio, I’d feel so much pressure. [I thought] he was wasting money by booking flights for me. When I got there, he was like, bro, I’m also looking for your sauce. You can only imagine how the early days were; both of us were like, is this thing gonna work?”
Nxumalo said the most productive sessions are the ones where she feels no need to overcompensate. “The more effortless [the studio session is], the better. When I got the Instagram DM from [Dlala Thukzin], I had the pressure to want to compensate. By the second day, I was myself, no pressure, nothing. There was no need for me to overcompensate. The more effortless I am, the better.”
That mindset also shapes how she processes success. “When something happens, I’m like, okay, what’s next? Instead of celebrating the moment on some, yo, people are catching up to me, I was like, what are we gonna do next?!”
Fashion and Brand Ventures
Beyond music, Nxumalo has moved into fashion. Her collaboration with clothing chain The Fix sold out quickly, and she is planning a follow-up. “I just do me. I do colour, I do confidence, and people happen to fall in love with it. Even when we sold our merch at The Fix, I didn’t expect it to do as well as it did. They launched the merch store, and I didn’t even get a chance to put the word out. The next thing, we were sold out.”
Views on Artificial Intelligence
Asked about the encroachment of artificial intelligence into music, Nxumalo offered a measured response, suggesting the technology could erode the collaborative relationships that have defined her own rise.
“I feel like AI will create divisions amongst musicians, because if I’m able to find a beat online, that means there’s no longer a need for me to go to the studio, it means I can do the song myself.”
