“If you want to make your dream come true don’t sleep”- Yiddish (West Germanic language) Proverb. This is the case for Promise Sikhosana who goes by the stage name Incengakazi Lamasombuka. Most of you would wonder why she started singing in recent years while in her late 40s. I couldn’t help asking her where she was all this while, this is the missing voice that many Maskandi fans have been yearning for. Who wouldn’t have loved to listen to such a euphonious voice? Almost in her 50s, her voice is as captivating as one can imagine it. For her age people have many questions, where was she all these years? Well in response to that, she says ” there is a time for everything”.
Promise was born in Bulawayo on the 15th of August 1973. She grew up in Bulawayo’s Lobengula Surburb and did her secondary education at Njube High School. As a child, she was never a part of any singing group or choir. Surprisingly having heard her melodious voice escape out of her mouth, every adult wanted her to be at church every Sunday. It is at this point that she realized that there was something peculiar about her voice. She says it still never came to her to join any singing group, band or choir although she always had this dream of herself holding a mic in her hand and singing on stage.
To her, singing came naturally, it was not all struggles and music classes like is the case for some. It was as though from the very minute she could utter her first word she was singing. She vowed one day she would share the wonderful gift God had endowed her with. She would not hide it from anyone and for this reason, she decided to venture into music particularly singing Maskandi music.
Sometimes called “Zulu Blues”, Maskandi music emanates from South Africa in Kwazulu Natal. It is a sub genre of Zulu folk music. Maskandi singers often sing about social issues ranging from love, HIV, death and many more. To understand the genre even more, it combines Western musical instruments with locally spoken dialects. Back in the day, the genre was mainly dominated by males, however, females like our own Incengakazi Lamasombuka have slowly penetrated the male-dominated space, also characterizing Maskandi music as fast-spoken poetry.
In April last year, Incengakazi Lamasombuka released her first album called Alarm ka9. She has however been there in the industry for a while. As we speak, she is working on her second album, title to be revealed soon and it features gospel Maskandi songs. She is also looking forward to releasing yet another one, Alarm ka9 part 2 that is meant to coincide with her birthday when she turns 50 in August. To her, singing is a God-given talent, she says she receives songs and poems any time of the day. As a young girl, she loved to listen to Imthente and Izingane Zoma and many other Maskandi artists. She however is sad to say that piracy is destroying the arts industry and something has to be done about it. She further indicates that it is not easy to make oneself known as an artist, it requires plenty of hard work.
Promise, a singer based in South Africa has worked with Isigodo Esihlaba Abathakathi, and confesses that she has learnt a lot from him though he is much younger than her. As one of the main features of Maskandi music, her music also goes with poetry. Listening to her album’s title track, ‘I- Alarm ka 09:00’ one cannot help but realize her creativity, especially in the way she addresses the issue of HIV and AIDS. In the song, a man deceives his partner who observed her routine 09:00 alarm that reminds him it’s time to take his ARVs. This cunningly, deceptive act is done without the knowledge of the other partner who just thinks her partner is visiting the restroom. It really brings out a sad scenario depicting a painful issue that really exists in our societies. Many such stories have been told in our societies. More captivating is the distinct guitar that plays along. The 10-track album features such songs as Bambelela, and Qinisela among others. In her 6th track, she features Izicimamlilo. Last year in May, Promise surprisingly did a splendid performance at Hillbrow Theatre in South Africa as she performed alongside other artists.
There is no history of music in her family, she introduced her plan to start singing as she says “everyone thought it was a joke”. At this point, she realised that singing was a way she could express herself. She could address many issues through music and singing. Singing makes her feel better and builds her sense of belonging in society. She says, ” I have no doubt in this journey I have just begun., I’m seeing a big road open ahead of me and I will walk on it for as long as God is walking with me”.
Currently, Incengakazi Lamasombuka is going solo and here and there engages backing vocalists. She is based in South Africa where she is also working. Before saying goodbye, she took time to advise aspiring musicians not to hide their talent but rather showcase it. “Artists should not hesitate to share what they have as it may heal someone out there”, she concludes.
Promise Sikhisana gives us a great lesson as she proves that it’s never too late to start a music career and hopefully her success story will be an inspiration to many.
