Blaq Diamond are modern-day rock stars with their magnetic presence, surefire charisma and sense of mystique.
That unmistakable rock-star energy first hit me like a lightning bolt when I watched them perform live on stage in the small town of Middelburg in Mpumalanga on a Saturday night with inclement weather.
The KZN duo, Ndumiso Mdletshe and Sphelele Dunywa, were the headline acts for the Middelburg Soul Night with Brian Temba, Theo Kgosinkwe and Encore having performed before them to tepid reception.
But when Blaq Diamond ascended the stage with their smash hits Love Letter and Ibhanoyi after 10pm, the mood in the hall shifted gears. Concertgoers of all ages rose to their feet and moved closer to the stage with their phones in the air.
“When performing you need to understand yourself and who you are so that confidence builds within you,” Dunywa says. “Once that is done you are just there to celebrate and interact with the audience. That’s why we feel like rock stars.”
Three days later, we meet up back in Johannesburg at our Parktown office. They marvel at the Sowetan newsroom and how it would be the perfect location for a music video shoot.
Blaq Diamond is arguably the modern-day equivalent of their hero, the late Joseph Shabalala. Their sound and style is heavily influenced by Mshengu. They got to meet the founding member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo before he died last year.
“We got to touch the Grammy. His family invited us and it was such a blessing,” Mdletshe says.
“He was so sick and even when the family called us it was like, 'you need to come now'.
“So when we were there it was more of a celebration. We were singing for him and he was just happy.”
Ironically, both the 26-year-olds hail from Ladysmith. They met in grade 8 in 2010 during a school trip where they faced off in a rap battle and immediately hit it off. While there was no clear winner, a long-lasting brotherhood was born.
“How we got the name Blaq Diamond is that sometimes as kids you come up with silly names and you never envision how it’s going to represent your journey,” Dunywa says.
“So we were studying in class and we had just learnt that black diamond is something that is precious. So we thought whatever we were offering was precious and fresh – plus we come from the dust.”
But it wasn’t until 2012 that they decided to ditch rap music in favour of their now popular sound called mbube (lion). It is, of course, a nod to Solomon Linda’s famous song from the 1930s. They define it as “African sounds from the mountains” – that is a fusion of maskandi, mbaqanga and iscathamiya.
“As kids that grew up in the 2000s and had access to TV, we were playing Lil Wayne and 50 Cent,” Mdletshe says.
“So it was either follow that or choose another path. We had that option to rap, but we decided to keep it real and authentic instead.”
We were sleeping everywhere and knocked on so many doors. Those three years were really tough
Their lucky break only came in 2017 after Sjava took notice of them after years of knocking on many doors. They first moved to Jozi in 2014 in pursuit of their dreams as varsity dropouts. Mdletshe was studying a BCom in accounting, while Dunywa was studying public relations.
“We were sleeping everywhere and knocked on so many doors. Those three years were really tough,” Dunywa says.
“Giving up was never an option and the way we left home we had to come back with it.
“We can’t blame our parents for being mad because they wanted their kids to go the ‘normal’ root of becoming doctors.”
Their debut album, Inqola, yielding the smash hit Isoka, introduced them in November 2017.
But it was their second offering, Umuthi, in January that was a game-changer. The album had bangers Love Letter, Woza My Love and Ibhanoyi.
Ibhanoyi went on to win record of the year at the South African Music Awards.
“It was a big shock to us and that’s not to say we felt like we didn’t deserve it,” Mdletshe says.
“That’s mainly because when we create music we don’t expect any reward or medal. It’s just about the people showing us some love.
“The process of making that song [Ibhanoyi] was the easiest and quickest compared to all the songs we have made. We did it in like an hour max.”
This week they dropped new track SummerYoMuthi. During the lockdown they launched their record label Umuthi Records, which has signed newcomer Sbahle. Her song Emlanjeni is already a hit.
Fact File: Ndumiso Mdletshe
Favourite actor: Denzel Washington
Favourite food: Pizza
Favourite musician: Joseph Shabalala
Favourite quote: What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger
Favourite emoji: Dove
Fact File: Sphelele Dunywa
Favourite actor: Denzel Washington
Favourite food: Wors
Favourite musician: Joseph Shabalala
Favourite quote: Family over everything
Favourite emoji: Dolphin
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