Khumalo celebrates her 20th anniversary in the music industry, marking two decades of powerful vocals and controversy.
Kelly Khumalo entered the music scene in 2005, just over a year after Brenda Fassie passed away in 2004, and has arguably been the only female muso to match MaBrr’s eyebrow-raising antics since.
Khumalo celebrates her 20th anniversary in the South African music industry this year, marking two decades of powerful vocals, resilience, influence and controversy.
To mark the milestone, the 40-year-old diva will release her 11th album titled Rebirth in late October.
“To me, marking 20 years means carrying on with the work I’ve always done. I’m not quite sure how I feel about reaching this milestone yet,” said Khumalo.
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Khumalo’s impact
Khumalo’s entrance into the industry was an instant headline maker through her debut album TKO, which included the smash hit Qinisela.
Her style of Afro-pop was provocative, sassy, and lovable thanks to her warm, powerful voice.
Qinisela was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Afro Pop Album at the 2006 South African Music Awards.
Her second album, Itshitshi, was a success too through the title track.
Itshitshi means virgin, and Khumalo claimed she was one at the time. This made for a great roll-out of the album in 2006, which brought a lot of attention to her and her brand.
Way before the South African public knew of Zodwa Wabantu, Khumalo’s performances around this time were defined by being on stage wearing miniskirts without any underwear.
Khumalo’s controversies
Khumalo was dating Molemo ‘Jub Jub’ Maarohanye when he and his friend Themba Tshabalala were arrested for killing four pupils in a car crash in Soweto, which left two other kids critically injured in 2010.
Khumalo made headlines as she supported Jub Jub in his court appearances, clad in designer outfits that had her looking like the wife of a powerful drug lord.
She broke up with Jub Jub around 2011, and soon after, she told the media that the Uyajola 9/9 host physically abused her and that they used illegal narcotics regularly.
Before dating Jub Jub, Khumalo was in a relationship with now late businessman Prosper Mkwaiwa, who proposed to her on the romance TV show, All You Need Is Love.
But the most significant controversy surrounding Khumalo is how Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa died at her mother’s home in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni.
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Reinventing herself
Khumalo’s sense of reinvention is captured through the titles of her album.
In 2008, she released her fourth studio album, Simply Kelly. Four years later, she released her fifth body of work, The Past, The Present, The Future.
In 2014, she dropped Back To My Roots. Three years after the sketchy death of her lover, Meyiwa, Khumalo released My Truth as though responding to the public’s outcry over Meyiwa’s murder.
Her album titles pack more punch than a statement t-shirt. Khumalo seems to always need to reinvent herself because of her detractors.
The peak of her rebranding happened late last year when she said she was now a certified traditional healer.
“After 15 years of searching and trying to figure out who I am, today I’m finally graduating, and am a certified inyanga,” Khumalo said in an interview on Ukhozi FM’s Vuka Afrika Breakfast Show.
“But mine is different. It’s not just traditional healing but a universal gift. It’s not only focused on black people, but it’ll go all over the world. That’s why it took longer for me to even figure it out, gogo.
“I was trained four to five times, but today is the first time I’m graduating as inyanga. I was trained in many places, including in the water, nature, by prayer, and through my roots, because it’s important to know where I come from to know where I’m going,” she said.
As her upcoming album title insinuates, Khumalo is going through a rebirth of sorts and unlike Fassie, she seems more conscious about her brand, hence the constant rebranding.
“I am deeply grateful for the love and support, and this anniversary is not just a celebration of my journey, but a tribute to my fans for supporting me. It’s been an incredible ride.”
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