A HOMECOMING

Words Nhlanhla Masemola | Images: Supplied

It’s not easy being revolutionary and Nakhane is arguably that. He makes it all look quite effortless and natural, too, with a new album and book on the horizon, brand collaborations and upcoming film roles. Following a desire for change and due, in part, to harassment for his seminal role in Inxeba The Wound, Nakhane relocated to the UK. This month, he returns home to tour his debut album You Will Not Die in South African for the first time. Just in time for the three-show tour kicking off on Thursday 28 November in Durban (followed by Friday 29 November in Cape Town and Saturday 30 November in Joburg), we caught up with the elegant polymath.

Your music has been described as folk, soul and glam-tinged. How do you define it?

At the root of every song I write is soul music. It was the first type of popular music I fell in love with as a child. Whether I’m doing it purposely or not, I do think I’m always trying to conjure up those feelings I had when I was first blown away by Marvin Gaye. Having said that, I really do believe that I’m making pop music.

What inspired your South African tour and why was it important to come home to perform it?

I hadn’t really put on my own shows in support of You Will Not Die. I had played some festivals here and there, but I really hated the fact that the SA audience hadn’t experienced the show as it is when I’m in control. I love SA audiences. I love how responsive and involved they are in concerts. I want an exchange, I want to see people’s eyes, I want them to ask me questions and to shout their feelings.

Does being a South African living in the UK shape your work in any way, being so far from home?

The danger of living abroad is losing touch with home and unless that is your goal, then that isn’t a good thing. So I spend a lot of time trying to keep up with what’s going on. Having said that, if I read the news for two hours straight I start to internalise everything and get really hopeless. Having distance helps, sometimes. The joke I’ve been telling myself is that this is my “James Baldwin goes to Paris” era. Before I’ve finished one project, I’ve already set my eyes to what I want to do next, so my geographical setup has little to no influence on the direction I want to take next.

Do you feel any responsibility to represent South Africa abroad?

Since the beginning of my professional career, I have always said that I only represent myself. However, I do understand that I carry my identity with me wherever I go. I know that non-South Africans write and speak about me as “the South African artist”. That's the truth, but it carries no weight on my shoulders.

You’ve spoken about renouncing your Christian faith. Has anything else replaced it?

On a good day, I’m a Xhosa-indebted agnostic. On a bad day, I’m a lazy atheist.

What drove you to explore working in film, music and literature?

I think I was around 11 when an aunt of mine asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I answered that I wanted to be an artist. She asked me, “Which kind?” and I said “Whichever comes first.” Had my dad not thwarted my growth as a painter, I would be painting too, but he was worried that I was getting a little too artistic. I had to “take a business degree”.

As a publicly queer black artist, how do you feel about being a role model to many young, queer and marginalised individuals?

I think the best artists make you feel represented. They make you feel like you can do whatever it is you want to do in this life. But – and this is a massive “but” – they’re not trying to start some cult of clones of themselves. If my so-called “public queerness” emboldens you to do anything, it should be to be yourself, not to mimic me.

What was your songwriting process like for You Will Not Die?

Painful, convoluted, heartbreaking, chapter-closing, lonely, but ultimately rewarding.

What do you feel is the best song you’ve released and why?

I love all my children equally. How could you ask a mother to choose?

If you could collaborate with any other musician, dead or alive, who would it be? Busi Mhlongo. Her work never fails to inspire me.

You’ve collaborated with many fashion brands. As a visual artist, how important is clothing to your work?

I was raised by a very fashionable mother. Of course, this also influenced me. Some may argue that clothing is inconsequential, but people’s relation to you is heavily influenced by your aesthetic choices. Sometimes conclusions about your identity, class, gender, etcetera are drawn just from what you’re wearing. For me, detail to what I’m wearing is sometimes a clue to where I am with my mental health.

As an author and reader, what books have most inspired you and why?

What Belongs to You by Garth Greenwell. For some reason, fiction was falling out of favour with me, but this writer pulled me right back in. His sentences, the details of his characters’ internal worlds – which is what I love more – is incredible.

Intimacy by Hanif Kureishi

The Zulus of New York by Zakes Mda. I don’t know if there is a writer that I have loved and enjoyed as consistently as Zakes Mda. He has a way of making the political seem fun and entertaining.

Born To Kwaito by Esinako Ndabeni and Sihle Mthembu. I love kwaito and these essays are such an important record of what the music did and is still doing for us.

What is one message you’d want your fans to take from your work? 

I have no message. I’m not a politician. I’ve truly never thought about this. I’ve had this question before, but I always find it so difficult to answer. Besides, the living decide what your message was anyway.

Lastly, what can people expect from your upcoming tour? Sweat, running makeup, long notes, gyrating hips, hard drums, feelings, crunching guitars, delicate piano tones.