MaWhoo’s ascent to stardom has been swiftly impressive. Outside of her own strings of hits, the KZN-born vocalist has appeared on smashes by some of amapiano’s key producers such as Sam Deep, Kabza De Small and Mas Musiq. Her vocals, which range from an airy falsetto to a brash alto, carry her debut album alongside her accessible lyrics.
She asserts her royalty on “Ingonyama” over breezy ’piano production and celebrates the fruits of her perseverance and hard work on “Asinalanga Lonke”, but, for the most part, The Chosen is a celebration of love. She links up with DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small for the baecation-ready “Bali” which is built on luxurious keys fitting of the soft life she sings about. A slew of love songs—“Sokalami”, “Simoja”, “Indoda”—explore the unparalleled feeling of being in love and the motions that come with it.
The Chosen is adventurous sonically. It’s predominantly amapiano, but MaWhoo also explores bolobedu house on “Imikhokha”, which is produced by Master KG, and the Bongo Beats-produced “Mama” and “Ithemba” which features bolobedu house queen Makhadzi. Songs like “Ngijabulile”, “Uhambo” and “Ngilimele”—a song that explores the humbling effects of heartbreak—lean towards Afro-pop, bolstered by amapiano’s log drum.
As a testament to her KZN roots, MaWhoo closes the album with a pure maskandi tune celebrating bhinca culture (“Ibhinca (Ukuba Yibhinca)”), where she deploys the genre’s signature falsetto alongside maskandi star Inkos’yamagcokama.
Tracklist:
- MaWhoo & Sfarzo Rtee - Ingonyama
- MaWhoo & Visca - Asinalanga Lonke (feat. Piyoyo)
- MaWhoo - Ngilimele (feat. Deep Sen, King Talkzin & Mthunzi)
- MaWhoo, Noxolo Ngema, Visca & DJ Maphorisa - Impilo
- MaWhoo, Makhadzi & Bongo Beats - Ithemba
- MaWhoo - Uhambo (feat. Aymos & Em-One)
- MaWhoo & ShaunMusiq - Indoda
- MaWhoo, DJ Maphorisa & Kabza De Small - Bali
- MaWhoo - Simoja (feat. TBO, Kabelo Sings, ShaunMusiq, Fears & Xduppy)
- MaWhoo & Master KG - Sokalami (feat. Casswell P)
- MaWhoo & Sam Deep - Ngoneni
- MaWhoo & Master KG - Imikhokha (feat. Simmy)
- MaWhoo & ShaunMusiq - Spanish (feat. Fears, Kabelo Sings & Xduppy)
- MaWhoo & Bongo Beats - Mama
- MaWhoo - Ibhinca (Ukuba Yibhinca) [feat. Inkos'yamagcokama]
Stream the full Album below.
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