Vusi Mahlasela

In South Africa, singer/songwriter Vusi Mahlasela carries the affectionate nickname “The Voice.” Fellow South African author Nadine Gordimer once observed, “Vusi Mahlasela sings as a bird does: in total response to being alive.” Beyond his distinctive songwriting, Mahlasela possesses one of the most arresting voices in present-day popular music.

He absorbed communal singing at his grandmother’s shebeen, an unlicensed township tavern, and instructed himself on guitar. During adolescence he began composing original material whose lyrics addressed pressing social concerns. In 1981 he affiliated with the poetry collective Ancestors of Africa, a group already under surveillance by the apartheid authorities. His 1988 entry into the Congress of South African Writers signaled a decisive step in his artistic development; around the same period he initiated a partnership with dub poet Lesego Rampolokeng and immersed himself in South African jazz, indigenous musical traditions, and the songs of Chilean composer Victor Jara, whom he has cited as his most decisive influence.

Mahlasela’s first overseas appearance, a 1990 London concert, generated greater recognition abroad than at home. His debut album, When You Come Back (1992), dedicated to South Africa’s political exiles, swiftly established his reputation across Europe and North America and is now regarded as a national classic. The equally compelling follow-up, Wisdom of Forgiveness (1994), echoed the conciliatory ethos of the newly democratic government, favoring forgiveness over retribution. Prolonged touring delayed the release of Silang Mabele until late 1997; its theme urged citizens to move beyond liberation anthems and build the fledgling nation.

The 1999 live recording Vusi Mahlasela & Louis Mhlanga Live at the Bassline preserved an intimate, guitar-only performance with longtime friend and collaborator Louis Mhlanga. In 2002 Mahlasela featured in Lee Hirsch’s documentary Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony, which explored music’s role in the anti-apartheid movement. The 2003 anthology The Voice, personally selected by the artist for North American audiences, served as his formal U.S. introduction.

Marking the twentieth anniversary of When You Come Back, Mahlasela reconvened his band for a 2012 concert at Johannesburg’s Lyric Theatre, delivering signature material to an engaged crowd; the performance was captured and issued early the following year as the live album Sing to the People.