Singer takes Zulu royal music to the world!

CLASSICAL and choral musician Siphokazi "Nonzwakazi" Maphumulo is set to fly the Mzansi flag higher and showcase Princess Magogo's music abroad.

The 32-year-old singer from Eskhaleni, KZN said she wants to expose Princess Magogo music and other Mzansi's music in Algeria.

She'll be performing alongside Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra during the 14th International Cultural Festival of Symphony Music.

The festival will be held at Algiers Boualem-Bessaih Opera House in Algeria on Saturday, 19 April. Nonzwakazi will share the stage with musicians from Mexico, Denmark, South Korea, Japan, Angola, Italy, and many other countries.

Late Princess Magogo, who was the mother of late prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi and great-grandmother of internationally acclaimed musician Toya Delazy, was an ancestral and choral/classical musician who passed away in 1984.

Nonzwakazi is one of the musicians trusted to sing her music in this current generation as she performed it during Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi's memorial service in 2023.

She told Daily Sun that she's excited that she'll perform Princess Magogo music, showcasing it to other countries.

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"There will be many orchestras from different countries to perform but on my side alongside, the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra, we will expose the work composed by Mzansi composers and Mzansi cultures.

"I will be performing Princess Magogo's music and perform the songs composed by Hendrik Hofmeyr, who is Mzansi's composer," she said.

She said after that they'll also perform Mzansi's popular hit songs like Phathaphatha in a classical way.

"We will arrange that to fit in the orchestra just to show that any music can be turned into the orchestra," she said.

Nonzwakazi said she has been performing Princess Magogo music for about 10 years and many people love it.

"It's a fact that many people are not exposed to classical music but the minute I start singing it, people start to relate and start to love it.

"I've developed a love for Princess Magogo music because it helps me to connect with my audience even when I perform in urban areas or perform in the rural" she said.