Afro-soul songbirds Nomfundo Moh and Msaki as well as rapper-cum-businessman Cassper Nyovest are a trio who haven’t shied away from expressing their respective faith walks, with their music being a reflection of the core of their beings. Hunger for intimacy and gratitude for spiritual mercies courtesy of the Creator has been the driving force determining the pace of each step in the successes of the artists, who have assumed almost-priestly positions to their fanbases. With Nomfundo’s latest single “Umusa”, the three come together to not only celebrate the graces from the other side but to deny themselves as being the chief orchestrators of the successes they’ve had.
The three-minute song is an ambient afro-soul track built on the foundation of a persistent mixture of despairing and upbeat strings that engenders an immersive atmosphere conducive of praise. However, the darker and warped production and downtempo rhythm of “Umusa” gives the musicians enough artistic legroom and emotional leeway to manipulate themes of gratitude and worship in context of persevering through life-changing hardships without coming off as being overtly domineering about their faiths.
Ever surgical with her emotionally incisive lyricism, Msaki coos about the deterioration of the human spirit’s ability to forge ahead when questioned by the trials of life. “Xa kumnyama, ungazazi ukuth uzoguqa uthini mawuthandaza / Umphefumlo uyaxakwa kubenzima nokubheka phambili,” she acknowledges in the opening verse. As far as artistic direction and songwriting is concerned, Msaki leading the carriage ahead of Nomfundo and Cassper imbues the song with a hearty resonance that allows her colleagues to explore thanksgiving from a standpoint of triumph rather than tribulation. Moreover, the East London-born nightingale shades the song with dark resignation and spiritual surrender, an implicit admission that even if things were to go south, she’d still allow her Maker to continue guiding her through unfamiliar paths.
Nomfundo’s contribution complements Msaki’s, as the middle verse of “Umusa” is altogether a self-conscious confession of how much an unworthy recipient of supernatural kindness and compassion she is. “Umusa wakho awun’gfanele,” she sings, before she waxes lyrical on how uMvelingqangi has been a reliable source of strength, comfort, and love throughout her journey. She rounds up her appearance on the song with a bookending reflection: that there’s no better place for her to be and to go if it’s not with her Maker.
Capping the song with a volley of rhapsodized praise, Cassper portrays his off-stage faith in Christ declaring that for as long as he lives, he “will speak Jesus” until he meets him one day. Much as Moh did with Msaki’s verse, Cassper leans his candle wick towards Nomfundo’s flame to borrow a bit of light, preventing the song from slipping into incoherence and causing thematic inertia.
“Umusa” is a tone-sensitive offering of thanksgiving and a mindful meditation of all the good that has come out of a healthy relationship with the Maker. Although all three artists are in different eras in their personal lives, their collective ability to remain in a consistent pocket of gratefulness reflects the presence of something greater backing their endeavours as the song does indeed suggest.
Watch “Umusa”:
