Mshoza gets her groove back

Songstress is riding high again with a new beau, saying fans gave her the courage and perseverance to start rocking the airwaves again

With a hot new single and a new man in her life, Nomasonto “Mshoza” Maswanganyi seems to have found her mojo again.

After 11 years of struggling in the music industry, she has dropped a new single titled Abantu Bam’, which is now dominating the airwaves on Metro FM, Kaya FM, YFM and Ukhozi FM. The song looks to be as much of a runaway hit as her debut single – Kortes – 15 years ago.

This is evident given the amount of airplay the single has been enjoying in the past two months.

Mshoza has not only found a new sound, but her new boyfriend, Thuthukani Mvula (38), is ready to take her as umakoti in the next few months.

Mshoza (33) told City Press this week that she was dedicating Abantu Bam’ to her fans.

“My people have been with me through thick and thin. Every time when something bad was written about me, they didn’t judge me,” she said.

“Instead, they send me messages of hope. The way that I could thank my fans was through a song.”

Mshoza said she got the inspiration to write Abantu Bam’ after she met a fan who told her that she should forget about the negative things that had been written about her and focus on reinventing herself. “The old woman touched my heart and – on that day – I went to the studio and wrote the lyrics to Abantu Bam’. Little did I know it was going to be a big song,” she said.

In the song, the mother of two opens up about what she’s been through in her life – from being married to divorced, broke and hurt.

“In this song, I am sharing my story and I wanted to tell people that I am not perfect; I am also human. For me it is not about Louis Vuitton. It is no longer about spending more, but about saving,” she said.

Mshoza’s album, which is set to be released next month, will be produced by Fresh Money Family, which she co-owns with Mvula, a businessman from Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal.

“I have found a brother, friend and a soul mate. He believes in my dreams and he never judges me about my past. Instead, he pushes me to be independent and to be a successful businesswoman,” she said.

Mshoza and Mvula met in January this year, four months after she dumped an abusive boyfriend who almost killed her.

In November last year, City Press published pictures of the horrific injuries she suffered when her boyfriend allegedly beat her up in a jealous rage, causing her to lose consciousness.

Mshoza and Mvula met through a mutual friend and he told City Press that when he first met her, he had no idea who she was, but only saw a “respectful and humble woman”.

Mvula was married before, but has been “separated” from his wife for five years.

Mshoza and Mvula have kept a low profile since March, but are now ready to go public with their newfound happiness.

Mvula, who is not a man of many words, said: “I just fell in love with her the first time I saw her.”

He also said that when he sat down with her to discuss their future, she told him about her plans to make a comeback.

“From that moment I knew that I had to make it happen, because I saw how passionate she was about music,” he said.

He also insisted that whatever happened in her past, didn’t affect their relationship.

“To me, the past is the past. I’m focusing on the future,” he said.

Asked if he was ready “to put a ring on it”, Mvula said: “Any time!”

Mshoza is just as enthusiastic.

“No matter what I’ve been through in life, I still believe in love. I cannot wait to be his wife,” she said.

She admitted that her return to the music scene would have been impossible without Mvula, who believed in her, and “supported me financially and emotionally”.

“I had already given up on my music career, but when I met him, he gave me hope.”

She spoke of her 11-year struggle.

“I was struggling as an artist. I had recorded a few songs with different recording companies, but nothing good came of it. I felt undervalued and underrated,” she said.

Now she is doing things differently, and taking the reins herself.

“When I was young, they would just give me a microphone and I would go on stage and sing. Today, I am more involved in my work, from writing my own lyrics to the final product,” she said.

“To all my fans from eKasi, who never gave up on me, this fourth album is for you. If it wasn’t for you, this album wouldn’t be a success.”