Image credit: Instagram/Nakhaneofficial
SA-born Nakhane Toure featured on the prestigious NY Times ’10 Artists to Watch in 2019′ list
Originally from Port Elizabeth, South African artist Nakhane Toure has the world taking notice of his considerable talent.
Image credit: Instagram/Nakhaneofficial
Making it big in America has long been the holy grail with everyone from the Beatles to U2 having to pay their dues to gain fame and fortune over the pond, so it’s no small achievement to be highlighted as one of the top ten artists to watch in 2019 by one of America’s most influential publications.
Nakhane, who is known for his award-winning portrayal of Xolani in the 2017 film Inxeba (The Wound), was included in the New York Times 10 hottest artists to watch in 2019 list, which many view as one of the signs that an artist is about to have their break-out year. According to the NY Times:
“The songs on his album You Will Not Die delve into both trauma and redemption. They ponder faith‚ pleasure‚ exile and belonging; they traverse hymns‚ neo-soul‚ South African pop and electronic dance music‚ and Nakhane’s voice crests in a vibrant‚ androgynous falsetto. Tenacity carries him toward joy.”
Others who made it to the prestigious list include Jade Bird, famous for her track Love Has All Been Done Before, as well as Blueface, Nicole Cruz, Lauren Jenkins, LeeBrian and YBD Cordae.
The star caught the attention of Elton John and Madonna when he also made it to the cover of the British Vogue magazine. He performed at AfroPunk in Paris and again in New York, and the world sat up and took note. The rest, as they say, is history.
Nakhane, now based in the UK, took to Instagram and shared his excitement about making it to the New York Times list for 2019. Local celebrities like Bob Mabena and Moonchild took to social media to congratulate him.
He is currently in New York to promote his album You Will Not Die, set to come out in the States on 22 February 2019. The album documents the collision between his sexuality and religion.
Nakhane will jet off to the Sydney Festival next week. He will perform at the Spiegeltent in Hyde Park on 18 January, as well as the Mona Foma in Launceston, at the Tivoli in Brisbane, and at the Melbourne Museum.
Sydney festival 2019: what the critics are seeing | Culture | The Guardian@nakhaneofficial in Australia next week! Kicking off @sydney_festival #speigeltent and thereafter @MONAFOMA @TheTivoliBris @melbournemuseum and @HowlerHQ https://t.co/MO8B2GMgJT
— Mark Bond (@mrvagabondy) January 11, 2019
