21-year-old rising afropop and amapiano sensation, Zee Nxumalo, joins forces with BET Award-nominated, multi-hyphenated musician, Pabi Cooper, on the anthemic single, “Thula Mabota”.
The infectious track delves into their infatuation with a mysterious young man wearing a pink hat. The pair, whose captivating personas are reminiscent of the mercurial Lebo Mathosa and Brenda Fassie, present themselves as an unexpected but powerful duo. Crafted by acclaimed producers Shakes & Les, alongside the creative genius of 031choppa, the song has taken both social media, particularly TikTok, and the vibrant streets and dance communities of South Africa by storm.
With its catchy hooks and irresistible lyrics, the song serves as an instant mood-booster, transporting listeners to a world of dance. Drawing inspiration from the carefree spirit of youth and the thrill of love at first sight, Zee Nxumalo delivers a melody that is as addictive as it is delightful.
“I hope people continue to love and support the song the way that they’ve been supporting it so far. It’s been so overwhelming since it first started to go viral back in February. We’re already on over 120K videos on TikTok! expresses Zee Nxumalo. She adds: “I’m looking forward to seeing how people make new dance challenges from Pabi’s verse because she came through with something fresh and different.”
Released this past Friday as an official single and landing the cover of the biggest amapiano playlist in the world, Amapiano Grooves, “Thula Mabota” is earmarked to become one of the biggest amapiano tracks of 2024.
“Thula Mabota is a record the streets have been begging for ever since it first leaked back in Feb. We had to do a bit of work to spice it up and Pabi Cooper brought the right energy to take it to a different level. We’re now looking forward to seeing how it grows over the coming weeks,” shares Shingai Darangwa, CEO Punchline Projects,
Bandile Msibi, Zee Nxumalo’s co-manager adds: “We’re really excited to see the success of Thula Mabota because it really elevates Zee into a top national star. It’s been an exciting year so far and we have so much more on the horizon.”
Celebrating the release of “Thula Mabota” with a short tour in KZN over the Easter weekend where Zee Nxumalo did 12 shows, all eyes are on the rising star as 2024 is set to be her breakthrough year.
Zee Nxumalo marked her arrival on the scene in 2023 with the release of her hit single “Pholile” featuring Azana and Mlindo The Vocalist. She followed that up with a scorching features run on hit singles “Funk 55”, “Shayimoto” and “Nguwe”.
