Camera-shy Samthing Soweto considers skipping visuals for masterpiece ‘Touch is a Move (Good Morning)’

South African singer and storyteller Samthing Soweto (real name Samkelo Mdolomba) recently took to Instagram to share a surprising and heartfelt revelation about his creative process. 

In a post that caught the attention of his fans and followers, he wrote: “Mina, I’m actually camera-shy. So instead of shooting videos for ‘Touch is a Move’, I’m thinking I might just let it be and focus on the next album. Thoughts?”

The post sparked immediate conversation online, with fans both understanding his hesitation and passionately encouraging him to reconsider. 

For many, “Touch is a Move: Good Morning” is more than just music - it’s a cinematic and spiritual experience deserving of visual storytelling. 

Released on July 4, the album marks Samthing Soweto’s return with his first full-length album in five years. 

Deeply introspective and lush with layered storytelling, the album reflects themes of growth, resilience, childhood and the rituals that shape our daily lives. 

Spanning 17 tracks, the project serves as a follow-up to his 2020 EP, “Danko!”, and a spiritual continuation of the groundbreaking 2019 album, “Isphithiphithi”, which helped solidify his place in the modern South African music canon. 

True to its name, the album unfolds like a day in the life - both metaphorically and narratively.

The "Touch is a Move" concept draws from childhood games, echoing the unspoken rule that once a move is made, it must be followed through - no second-guessing, no take-backs. It becomes a metaphor for commitment, responsibility and the courage to act with intention. 

The "Good Morning" half of the title is rooted in a personal practice Soweto started in 2023: a daily morning greeting to his fans online, fostering connection and grounding both him and his audience in routine and presence.

Together, these ideas frame an album that is as philosophical as it is musical. 

At its core, the album is a sonic memoir. The album tracks a day in the life of a five-year-old Samkelo - a fictionalised version of the artist as a child in the early 1990s.

Through a series of interludes and evocative songs, listeners meet characters like uMama, uGogo, bhut’ Lungisa, sis’ Amina and sis’ BhiBhi - all seen through the eyes of a child still discovering the world. 

“As young Samkelo drifts off to sleep, he reflects on his day, his family and his ultimate wish to belong. The day ends and so does the album - gently, intimately and joyfully,” reads a press statement accompanying the album’s release. 

Despite the richness of the narrative and visuals embedded in the music, Soweto’s reluctance to shoot videos sparked a wave of creative suggestions from fans:

Zazi Cooks proposed: “Make an animated video, we have a ton of great animators in SA!”

Tumelo Peane offered: “Hire actors and just appear somewhere performing in the background, your songs tell great stories anyway.”

Khanya Greens passionately commented, “The album really deserves a few videos. You can shoot your scenes alone and intimate, and the other scenes with actors.

"I truly love the storytelling element in the album, and it would be really special to see that come alive in a couple of nice hearty music videos. That being said, I’d love another album because I play this one from start to finish many times a day 😂.”

Rendy Rex suggested thinking even bigger: “The album deserves a short film, not just a video. Those family interludes would really slap.”

Bravo Le Roux, a fellow artist, chimed in with humour: “At least give us shows so we can take the videos ourselves, ke, bra yam (my brother).”

Soweto-born Mdolomba has always charted his own path. A former member of The Soil and one of SA’s most distinctive vocalists, he blends elements of soul, jazz, R&B and indigenous music into work that resonates across generations.

His artistry is often marked by deep vulnerability, a commitment to authenticity and a sense of place rooted in memory and community.

Whether or not he decides to produce visuals for “Touch is a Move: Good Morning”, it’s clear that fans are ready to carry the stories forward - through imagination, interpretation and maybe even their own cameras. 

And if he chooses instead to dive straight into the next album, that too will be a move worth touching.