Talks R&B revival, queer love, debut album
Langa Next music project already in pipeline after health scare
Langa Mavuso started the year with a two-week hospital stay after being diagnosed with deadly meningitis. But fear not, he’s back to full health and has just dropped the romantic music video for Pretend, featuring Aimee George.
January was a scary month after your meningitis diagnosis. How are you feeling?
If I didn’t go to hospital when I did, I probably would have died. Coming back from that required so much faith. It was a tough way to start the year in a hospital with tubes all over you. That moment of going through that feeling that life is so fragile put a lot into perspective.
Was it the first time you had a near-death experience?
Yes. It started as a headache and I had it every day. It kept getting worse. I was in so much pain. My doctor thought it was Covid-19 but I tested negative twice. There came a day I couldn’t sleep at all, in excruciating pain and I asked my brother to take me home to my mom and dad in case something happened. After three days, I wasn’t getting better and the doctor suggested I go to hospital because my vitals were fine but I was in pain.
How are you doing mentally after that experience?
A few years ago, we had spoken about depression and the pain of going through that – trying to find stability and create a safe place to learn and grow. Over the years I have created stability for myself through support systems, balance, doing the things I love and being surrounded by those I love. I’m in such a good place when it comes to my mental health but I still see a therapist once a week.
In both your videos for Panther and Pretend, there is a recurring theme of queer love. What brought that on?
We often don’t see that shown in our videos. The only person that has ever done it is Nakhane. To talk about sexuality is not a thing I like to do but to show it and speak about it openly in a way that is normal was important to me. For those videos, I wanted to show that intimacy and to show that kind of love exists outside of hetero-normative conforms. Kids need to see themselves, we need to see ourselves reflected in what we consume.
After releasing your smash hit Sunday Blues in 2017, you took your time before dropping your debut album last year. Why is that?
I spent time crafting the record because I wanted it to give music that was timeless and reflect that time in my life. I wanted it to be honest and when it came out it showcased that story in the most authentic way possible. It was amazing to have the kind of reception that we had. Within a month of the album coming out we were already on two million streams and we are chasing gold now.
What is the state of R&B in SA?
We are bringing back R&B in this country with the rise of artists like Elaine, myself, Manana and many others bubbling under. The way that things usually work in SA is that there is one prominent genre doing well. For the past two years it has been amapiano. It has almost been unheard of for a vocalist to speak to a certain genre without starting out as a feature artist on a house or amapiano track.
Are you going to take long releasing your next album?
Not at all. I know the process much better now. I understand how to turn over music much quicker now. We have written almost the whole thing in a month. I think we will probably do the whole album live but after that record the album in a nice studio where we can have a full band come in and bring back that expensive music that we grew up on.
Is heartbreak still going to be a theme in the next album?
The theme is about exploring the journey back to home. Understanding who Langa is as an African and Zulu person. But also so much of it is about healing. Post-Covid there has been an energy of healing that is necessary. At least now, we are not healing from a heartbreak but more like from the isolation. But we will throw in a love song here and there.