Nomfundo Ngcobo AKA ‘Nomfundo Moh’ (a childhood name given by her family, ‘Moh’ referring to a mosquitio) has charmed her fans with her stunning voice since she made her bold entrance onto the music scene.
The ‘Phakade Lami‘, Spotify Equal hit maker’s journey is a truly inspiring one. Hailing from Ndwedwe, Kwazulu-Natal, Nomfundo began her music journey at church when she was just 6 years old, never missing the opportunity to perform at a concert or church event. She began doing cover songs and writing from her bedroom at 16 years old and eventually released ‘Lilizela‘ on streaming platforms, but had to remove it in September 2020 .
In February 2021, Nomfundo released ‘Lilizela‘ officially, after being signed by Universal Music Africa, getting noticed by the label with the help of her fans. Juggling a music career and studying for a degree in Social work at the same time is certainly worthy of admiration. As the saying goes, “when the time is right, it will happen” and 21-year-old Nomfundo is a living proof of that.
In an interview on Gagasi FM on Tuesday the 17th of May on the ‘Uprising show’, Nomfundo opened up about what motivated her to write her now double platinum hit single titled ‘Phakade Lami‘ which features two popular female vocalists, that being Sha Sha and Ami Faku. The song to date boasts a massive 9,901,508 views on YouTube.
Nomfundo explains that the song was written in the middle of lockdown and is about missing someone and expressing how much you love them, wondering if they are doing well, whether it is relatives, lovers or friends. The artist stated that she was inspired to write the song at that time, because most people were separated from their loved ones and were not allowed to travel, with students even being ordered to leave their University residences.
On the 28th January 2022 Nomfundo released her debut album titled ‘Amagama‘, via Universal Music which is an Afropop album. The album consists of 13 tracks, the songs released as singles are ‘Ngam’khetha’ which features producer Naxion Cross and Beast RSA and her solo offering, ‘Soft Life‘. In April 2022 Nomfundo was also named ‘African rising Artist’ on Apple music.
Nomfundo is not only slaying in the music industry, but academically too. The month of May has no doubt been a thrilling one for the classes of 2021, with many universities returning to physical graduation ceremonies after 2 years of not being able to host them as a result of the Covid 19 and lockdown regulations. On the 14th May Nomfundo was presented with her Bachelor of Social Work Degree at the University of KwaZulu Natal.
Videos of her graduation have been circulating on social media for the past few days and what a heartwarming site it was to see. As Nomfundo went up to receive her certificate, her ‘Soft Life‘ track began to play whilst a crowd of graduates joyfully sung along. The song, a symbolic confirmation of the life Nomfundo is now realizing. The lyrics “Qo Qo Qo Qo Qo Sivulele Ningasivaleli ngaphandle, Nathi sifun kphila isoft life ” translates to “Knock knock open for us, do not exclude us, we also want to live a soft life.”
During her graduation ceremony Nomfundo’s management surprised her with her double platinum plaque for the hit single ‘Phakade Lami ‘. Nomfundo was clearly overwhelmed with delight, dancing and singing along on stage.
As a young woman who was brought up in a village in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, Nomfundo was no stranger to witnessing people struggling or suffering. She says that she wrote the song to motivate herself and others to prosper and live a happy ‘soft life’ especially the youth.
The ‘Soft life‘ music video has hit 271,312 views in just 2 weeks of its release and currently sitting at no 14 on the YouTube Trending Music Video chart. With a billboard in Times-Square, New York, a degree as a qualified social worker, and a double platinum single this young artist is gaining traction in the ‘Soft life‘ at an outstanding tempo, setting an example to those who need inspiration to follow their dreams.
When Nomfundo was asked about which path she would choose, between music and her social worker career, she replied by saying she would like to spread her wings in the music industry while continuing her work helping others as she chose her degree with that ambition. Nomfundo will use her influence in the music industry and her degree to give back to the community, with the goal of establishing her own foundation someday.
The day after her graduation, Nomfundo took to Facebook and Instagram to share this auspicious occasion with fans and express her gratitude to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) urging all South Africans who would like to see themselves graduating in the future to apply for NSFAS Financial Aid and to also apply at Universities.
May her achievements continue to shine a light of inspiration to all.
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