Kelly Khumalo is celebrating 20 years in music with the release of her new album Rebirth.
In an exclusive sit-down with Sowetan, Khumalo discusses the ups and downs in the last two decades, motherhood, lessons learnt and memories of her former boyfriend and footballer, Senzo Meyiwa, who was murdered in October 2014.
Having been through public scrutiny, Khumalo said, with age, she has learnt more about self-love.
“The Kelly today doesn’t care what people say or think of her. The Kelly you see today is not defined by people’s expectations or perceptions of her. She is a liberated being, not defined by society – so, I appreciate her more than I did 20 or 10 years ago,” she said.
Her hit Qinisela from her debut album, TKO, is what launched her career in August 2005. She remembers her first big performance during the halftime when Kaizer Chiefs played Ajax Cape Town at FNB Stadium. “My song, Qinisela, was very big at the time, but nobody knew who I was. They just knew the song. I was very young. What was important was performing, not the fame,” she said.
“But fame has a way of finding you. I knew I was famous when I went to the bank and couldn’t do the things I would normally do, like standing in the queue without people fussing over me or pointing fingers.”
Following her first explosive performance in the Eastern Cape, the first media storm came, and she remembers reading the headline “Kelly the Virgin”.
“I was shocked...” said Khumalo, who maintains motherhood has grounded her.
She is a mother of three children – Christian, Thingo and Luna – fathered by Jub Jub, Meyiwa and Mthokozisi Yende. “Motherhood is no joke. Every mother who says ‘Oh, motherhood is beautiful’ is lying. Motherhood is not for the faint-hearted; it’s for soldiers who are godly trusted because kids will test your faith, love and patience,” she said.
“The beautiful moments are very few, but when they come, they make up for all the hardships. My children are a reflection of me – they mirror me in everything, but they’re also a better, upgraded version of me. What I want for them is not to let their lives be defined by society, but to live according to what they want.”
The biggest controversy has been around the murder of Meyiwa, where she remains a person of interest in the ongoing murder trial. “I will not take my 20 years of hard work and make it become about nonsense – it lost its credibility a long time ago, and it ends now.
“My interview of 20 years of music and hard work as a woman and mother cannot be clouded by something that was built by someone else. Case closed,” Khumalo said when asked about the matter.
Khumalo was, however, open to speaking about the love shared with Meyiwa. “He was the goofiest yet most genuine person I’ve ever known. He was very loving and giving, the best friend and brother I’ve ever had. That was one genuine relationship that broke down the walls from my upbringing and allowed me to love. Even when things got tough, love was still love between us,” she said.
“He [Senzo] poured his favourite drink, Fanta Pine, into two glasses. He dared me to take a gulp and match his drink level, saying if I did, he’d marry me that day. I matched it, and he laughed, thinking I scammed him. He told me to try again, and it matched his level. The next day, he came home with a catalogue and asked me to pick the ring I wanted. That’s the kind of person he was.”
Khumalo defines her new album as a mix of pain, rebirth and resilience. “I’m trying to find a suitable word that is less harsh, but the best way to describe my new album is that it was abusive. It was abusive spiritually and also a redirection.
“I’m used to being in control, and that wasn’t the case. Producing the album felt like moving from the darkness and finally breaking free – it was a metamorphosis, a rebirth into what’s new.”
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