With a philosophy based on the idea that “there is no life without love”, Gqeberha-based musician Sphamandla “Spha” Dlakwe, says that he is more than ready to “heal and make people happy” through his music.
As a Rhodes University in Makhanda Music and Drama graduate, 31-year-old Spha who hails originally from Alexandria, says he loves “to write and sing in isiXhosa about love and life”.
“I have no particular style as a favourite, to be honest, any good sounding, emotion-evoking, and great piece of music is mine. I do feel like my voice gets extra grounded when slow jams are playing, soulful, heartfelt music. The guitar and the piano are my magic instruments, they will bring out all the hidden treasures, there’s something those two instruments do that makes sense to my soul musically.
“I have recently released a 4 track EP titled Inqwelo, so I’ve been trying to get that out there through recorded performances for my YouTube channel and any other stage that feels right for me, I take,” says Spha.
He is excited about being awarded a 2022 Jakes Gerwel Foundation Songwriting mentorship which takes place next month at the foundation’s Paulet House in Somerset East, where he and four other musicians will be mentored by acclaimed musicians and theatre makers Frazer Barry of Tribal Echo and Zanele Mahola of Freshly Ground-fame.
What the songwriters work on in mentorship will be performed at 2023 Suidoosterfees at Artscape, Cape Town.
“I cannot wait to be in a space with other artists who have a different perspective and philosophy on life. I cannot wait to learn from them as much as I can teach them, to experiment with different styles of writing, and music genres, learn their individual processes of writing and or composing music, and I certainly cannot wait to see what we can put together as these vastly different artists to create new sounds of music.
“I am currently shopping around for beats, composing, and writing for my first album which I hope to begin recording in a month or two. So, I do hope that I’ll get to experiment with different sounds that could lead to the production of songs I would want to put in the album which is the main reason this opportunity was so appealing to me when I first heard about it,” Spha says.
Being at the ever-beautiful Paulet House in Somerset East will be sure to infuse Spha’s sounds with the “love and life” that moves him to sing, sing, sing…
*Sphamandla Dlakwe’s Bio
Spha Dlakwe is a 31-year-old musician from Alexandria, currently based in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape. He is a Music and Drama graduate from Rhodes University in Makhanda. He writes and sings mostly in isiXhosa, mainly about love and life, because his philosophy is that there is no life without love. Sph recently released his debut EP titled Inqwelo and is ready, more than ever, to heal and make people happy through his music.
Spha Dlakwe is a 31-year-old musician from Alexandria, currently based in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape. He is a Music and Drama graduate from Rhodes University in Makhanda. He writes and sings mostly in isiXhosa, mainly about love and life, because his philosophy is that there is no life without love. Sph recently released his debut EP titled Inqwelo and is ready, more than ever, to heal and make people happy through his music.
