Mpumi Mzobe's 'Iculo Lami': an Afro house tribute to healing and empowerment

Nompumelelo “Mpumi” Mzobe has recently released a new project titled “Iculo Lami”, a soulful Afro House EP, which features five tracks and is centred around celebrating and uplifting women.

Her EP also features one of the country’s heavyweight musicians, Professor, whom she has collaborated with on multiple songs since she made her debut in the music industry in 2013.

The talented Afro House singer has also been featured on multiple hit tracks in Mzansi, including “Somandla”, “Busa”, featuring Euphonik, “Umoya”, featuring Heavy-K and Professor, as well as “Wena”, featuring Heavy-K.

In a conversation with “Independent Media Lifestyle”, Mpumi revealed that the inspiration for her EP comes from a deep, positive and spiritual place.

“I sit back and I think that this is what has been deposited in my spirit, you know, because I like music from a very spiritual and a very deep place. 

“And I named the project “Iculo Lami” because of the messages that I have been given to release musically. So that's how I ended up calling it “Iculo Lami,” she said.

When asked what she hopes her listeners take away from either one or two of the songs from the EP, she shared that all she wishes for is that whenever someone listens to the songs, they get some sense of healing.

“I always want to write positive music. That's what I always want to do. I want to write positive music for people who basically want to be healed.”

She added: “That's why I always try and dictate the ability in my spirit when I write and when I sing so that when someone listens, they get some sense of relief, healing, hope, inspiration and a celebration of love sometimes.”

She added that her music is also centred around God because in some of her songs, it’s either she’s praising Him, praying or asking for certainty in some situations.

In addition, relatability is something she also makes sure to include in her songs because oftentimes, people use music to ask for guidance from God.

“There are a lot of people who seek the messages that I write about, who seek healing and motivation. And when they listen to a piece of music, they're like ’I'm not alone.”

When asked if her personal journey shaped her musical journey, Mpumi replied: “ Yes, I can say that. because I write from experience. I write from just watching situations that don't even happen to me, but they're like, they happen to the people that are close to me.”

Mpumi also collaborated with Professor, and during the conversation, she also added how her collaboration with him came about.

“He's my best buddy and my brother. When I came into the industry in 2013, he embraced me with so much love,” Mpumi said.

She added that for her next venture, she sees herself getting into the popular 3-step sound that has been taking over currently in the music scene.

“I'm really intrigued by the three-step sound. And there are exciting kids on the block that I want to collaborate with. And it would be nice to collaborate with some of them.

“We've had some talks, and I'm entertaining the idea of just getting into the studio.  And maybe just work on a few singles, which are collaborations with some of the young ones,” she revealed.