This album, Pumeza Matshikiza's Decca debut, traces her musical journey from South African townships to the operatic stage, featuring opera arias, traditional African songs in Xhosa, and compositions by Kevin Volans.
Performer Biography
Pumeza Matshikiza is a member of the extended Matshikiza family, which also includes the jazz musician and composer Todd Matshikiza.
Performer Biography
Pumeza Matshikiza, the album's performer, grew up in South African townships with minimal formal music training, discovering opera by listening to the radio and borrowing LPs from the public library.
Instruments
The Xhosa language, featured in several songs on this album, includes three basic click consonants: a dental click ('c'), a palatal click ('q'), and a lateral click ('x').
Cultural Impact
Miriam Makeba's performance of 'Lakutshon'ilanga' in the 1959 film Come Back, Africa led to her international fame but also a thirty-year exile from South Africa.
Cultural Impact
Miriam Makeba, a famous South African singer, made 'The Click Song' (Qongqothwane) famous, and it is believed to bring good fortune and rain.
