Since releasing his much-celebrated debut album, Liminal Sketches, five years ago, singer and songwriter Nkosinathi Nhlakanipho Mavuso, known by his stage name Langa Mavuso, has finally released his much-anticipated sophomore album.
Titled Therapy: The Other Side, the album follows the 32-year-old’s journey of reflection and healing after the death of his celebrity chef partner, Lentswe Bhengu, who died after a short illness in 2023.
He speaks to Sowetan about his grief, the making of the album and more.
Sowetan: How would you describe the overall feel of the album and what inspired it?
Langa Mavuso: What inspired the album are reflections of the things that have happened in the past few years, both good and bad and the hopefulness. Going into this album, I didn’t want the sadness to overshadow the hopefulness I’ve felt. The feel of the album is very hopeful and positive.
Sowetan: How would you say you’ve grown sonically since your last album five years ago?
Langa Mavuso: The first thing you might notice is that my voice has changed a lot. It’s much higher, much deeper and louder. I also feel like there is more self-assurance in this project and less shyness, like in the last one. For the first time, I’ve written most of the songs with different people; previously, I wrote all the songs except for two.
Sowetan: You Live On is a song dedicated to your late boyfriend. After performing it, you mentioned that you want to move to a new era. What does that new era look like?
Langa Mavuso: The new era looks like lots of performances, new love, abundance, growth and lots of money.
Sowetan: What is your favourite song on the album and why?
Langa Mavuso: Dangerous, which features Yanga Chief and King Perryy. It’s a fun song and different from anything I’ve done before.
Sowetan: You have many featured artists, including Nkosazana Daughter, Yanga Chief, and Marcus Harvey on the album. Who were you excited to feature on this project?
Langa Mavuso: Samthing Soweto wrote a song for me, and that was really exciting, even though I fell asleep during the process. He was someone I was really excited to work with.
Sowetan
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