Jive with The Wife
They didn’t have to go as hard as they did! Forget the gold G Wagon – the most Gucci thing about the Zulus’ lives is their soundtrack.
If music is the food of love, hardcore fans of Showmax original series The Wife have been feasting. For two seasons (so far) we’ve been served more South African sizzle than a shisanyama. Fans have flooded search engines to track down “that” track in each episode.
“You can’t mention The Wife and not speak about the music and the sound design that went into the series,” insists series creative director Fikile Mogodi. “We looked at local artists that could give us the nuances and the flavours that could speak to the emotions being showcased on the show… You can see a scene that’s shot between two normal people just talking. If it’s a silent scene, it’s just two people talking. Immediately after you introduce a texture of music to it, you take it to a totally different thing.”
The legal and financial complexities surrounding music rights and artists’ residuals in streaming series have, alas, bitten the production team. So yes, things are a little different in season 3. But we’re still getting swept up by expert hands. Andile “Anzo” Ngubeni’s beloved theme tune remains. And the rest of this season’s score is made up of original tracks by composer and sound designer Brendan Jury, who’s been guiding us through The Wife with his scores from day one. He’s the guy who created Zandile’s epic and romantic theme tune, The Wife Zandile True Love, in collaboration with Monde Msutwana. We know to brace ourselves for big emotions when we hear those bars during an episode…
5 SONGS & SCENES TO CELEBRATE
For an in-depth look at music in The Wife, your must-watch is episode 6 of the documentary series The Wife – Behind The Veil.
1 THE SONG: UBUSUKU BONKE The scene: The Zulu brothers’ successful heist season 1 episode 1
At the end of ,the scene cuts between the Zulu brothers’ cash-in-transit heist and Hlomu looking at the aftermath of their destruction, with Abdul Khoza’s (who plays Nqoba Zulu) Ubusuku Bonke setting the tone. “I remember hearing Ubusuku Bonke the first time,” says Fikile. “I told Abdul it’s so dope that I wanted to close episode 1 with it. It had that huge heist. Ubusuke Bonke really spoke to the type of hustle and change that we wanted to bring onboard.”
2 THE SONG: QHAWE LAM
The scene: Hlomu is nursing Mqhele after her dad beat him up
It’s just a hint of the opening of this song in season 1 episode 12, but it’s a hint of the reconciliation to come as Hlomu allows Mqhele to re-enter her life. Unfortunately, it also hints at the promise Mqhele will go on to break – to never raise his hand to Hlomu ever again. For Hlomu and Mqhele fans, Qhawe Lam, sung by Zuko Kupiso (from his debut album titled No One Is Safe) is a heart song that blends the romance with dark, tumultuous elements. For Zuko, the song was originally about the strength that carries us through times of incredible stress. And the lyrics including the line “I’ve seen it all. Been through it all,” were based on words from the prayers his parents said over him. After Zuko woke up to surprise fame in 2021 after this episode of The Wife featured the track, he went on to negotiate with the production team who’ve used a double handful more of his songs in the show.
3 THE SONG: DOKOTELA The scene: Mqhele kicks the bucket out from under Hlomu’s ex-fiancé, Sandile
In season 1 episode 15 during Hlomu’s coming of age ceremony, Mqhele is casting dagger eyes at Hlomu’s presumptuous ex-fiancé Dr Sandile, and the Zulu brothers cheekily start singing Dokotela, including the lyrics, “You’re so forward, you’re such a nuisance.” There’s a chilling call-back to that song in season 1 episode 39 when Mqhele visits Dr Sandile and forces him into suicide by hanging. “When we shot that scene with Kay when Sandile was killed… I was like, here’s another story in the story! And even the lyrics were just perfect. So as soon as Mqhele kicked the bucket from underneath Sandile’s feet, he started singing that Dokotela song,” reveals Bonko. “In my head I was like, ‘The whole of South Africa will sing along’ because it was such an iconic little piece.”
4 THE SONG: DREAM ABOUT YOU The scene: Qhawe and Naledi’s “doorway” scene.
Former Idols (season 11) top-5 finalist Lloyiso Gijana’s Dream About You is silky smooth as two swans gliding along a river of love and perfect for the sweetly awkward scene between Dr Naledi and Qhawe in
season 2 episode 27. Dr Naledi confronts Qhawe “the nuisance” about standing in the doorway of the Zulus’ house and blocking her way and he explains that he lives there… With these two, it’s a soul connection where you can look at someone and imagine your wedding day.
5 THE SONG: THE WIFE THEME TUNE The scene: The opening of every episode
KZN-born Skandi pop artist Anzo Islwane wrote and performed the song that transports us into the world of The Wife every episode. It blends the hard-driving pulse and plaintive notes that sum up the emotional range of the series – with a pha-pha-pha to echo the sudden gunfire and violence running through the Zulu brothers’ lives.