In an industry obsessed with image and labels, South African singer-songwriter Nanette is choosing something different: grounding herself in who she is, not who people assume her to be.
For years, strangers and even peers, have mistaken her for coloured, often before asking about her heritage. Instead of letting it slide, she’s made it clear: she is a black woman with deep, layered roots that don’t fit into anyone else’s checkbox.
Growing Up Between Lines No One Drew for Her
Nanette comes from a family that tells the story of South Africa all on its own: a Zulu mother, a Xhosa father, and a paternal grandmother who was classified as Coloured under apartheid’s rigid identity system.
Back in high school, the comments and assumptions chipped away at her sense of belonging. She speaks honestly about an “identity crisis” — not just confusion, but the pain of being told she wasn’t “black enough” for some, and not “one of us” to others.
Her father helped her find her footing again by reminding her of something many African families hold onto: “You are what your father is.” He told her about their lineage with pride — including her grandfather, a celebrated poet involved in translating the Xhosa dictionary across English and Afrikaans.
That conversation shifted everything. “I know my lineage,” she says. “I know the people I come from, and those people know themselves. Our culture isn’t up for debate.”
Her first language? Zulu. Her upbringing? Black. Her identity? Not up for public correction.
Family as Foundation: The Women Who Raised Her
Nanette is proudly shaped by the women who surrounded her. The person she credits the most is her grandmother — a Zulu nurse who worked over 30 years in healthcare and helped raise her. “Ndingu’mntana ka makhulu,” Nanette says with pride: I am my grandmother’s child.
This love sits at the heart of her song “Abazali,” a tribute not just to her biological parents, but to the community that raised her — her mother, father, stepmother, grandmother and late aunt. The track isn’t just nostalgic; it’s a call to restore respect, discipline and ubuntu in how young people treat their elders.
The Music: Heartwarming Wins, Quiet Battles
Nanette’s journey in music has been beautiful and brutal in equal measure. She’s honest about having high expectations for herself — sometimes too high. When she falls short of her own standard, she sits with disappointment longer than she’d like. But the warmth the industry has shown her keeps her going.
Her pen has been her passport. She built her career in writing camps, intimate collaboration spaces where some of her biggest songs were born. One of them, “Talk to Me,” came out of a camp with rapper Blxckie. When he couldn’t release it due to timing, he handed it to her — and it became her most-watched video on YouTube.
Her latest project, “Painfully Happy,” dropped in August and gave her one of the biggest creative milestones of her career: working with American producer Andre Harris, known for crafting hits for Kehlani, Jill Scott, D’Angelo and Musiq Soulchild.
For Nanette, meeting him was more than a collaboration, it was a moment of clarity. He taught her to “play the long game,” to protect her integrity and reputation, and to let kindness and consistency do the heavy lifting.
Looking Ahead: The Stage as Sacred Space
Nanette is gearing up for a major live performance at the end of October, equal parts exciting and stressful. Live music, she says, is where she feels most alive.
Joining her on stage will be MandiFeze, a soulful folk duo made up of Mandisa Nomalungelo Yende and Lufezo Yamandumo Bovungana. They focus on storytelling, healing and softness, a perfect pairing for someone who wants her audience to feel seen.
Her intention for the show is simple but ambitious: “I want people to feel like they had a conversation with themselves that sparked healing that will last forever. If I can do that by sharing my story on stage, I’ve done my job.”
A New Kind of Representation
In a country where identity is still heavily policed online and offline, Nanette isn’t just navigating culture, she’s actively reshaping the rules around it. Her story isn’t about choosing one part of herself, it’s about claiming all of it.
No hashtags, no neat labels. Just heritage, craft and honesty. And that, in this era, may be the real rebellion.
Source: IOL
Featured Image: News24