047 is a boy band which consists of Ngcali Nundu, 19, Lihle Baleni, 20, and Sihle Mdaka, 21, which was discovered by singer Vusi Nova. Their name is dedicated to their home town of Mthatha and its safe to say they will make Mthatha proud.
They first gained notice when Vusi Nova posted a video of the trio singing their song on his social media account. They then released their debut single uBuhle, which features the award winnng singer Vusi Nova earlier this month and have been garnering a fan base ever since.
When did you guys meet or have you always know each other?
We haven’t always known each other, we met in 2013. We met each other at a singing competition, between the 3 of us Ngqali and Lihle were in a group at the time and Sihle was in another group.
Why did you give yourselves that specific stage name?
Well 047 is the area code for Mthata, which is where we’re from. It’s a way for us to represent our home town, and we’re very proud from where we come from too.
When did you realise that music something you wanted to do? (individually)
Lihle- In 2013, because that’s when we actually started singing together as a group. I realised that this is something I loved and could pursue.
Sihle- When I was about 10 or 11, my mom used to love singing gospel and recording, and my mom always wanted me singing with her and tagging along with her. So being around my mom and being around all that music inspired me, I fell in love with music then.
Ngqali- I would have to say in high school hey, around grade 8 or something. I used to sing with my brothers, and the first time I’d performed was at the Valentine’s Day show at school. It was the first big crowd performance for me and it was amazing, can’t really explain the feeling but it was like, wow.
The 047 guys took time to answer some of our questions. Get to know them a little better:
When did the three of you start singing together?
We started singing together in 2013, that’s when our group was formed actually.
How did it all start?
There were different groups competing at High School or something. Funny enough, we got locked in a hall, so we decided to start jamming just to pass the time and we just clicked so well. There was great chemistry, so I guess if it wasn’t for being locked in the hall it would be a different story all in all.
Who writes the music and who does the sound producing, or is it all a group effort?
It’s definitely a group effort, we all have perspectives on certain things and I think us all having an input in our music makes it more personal to us and the listeners too.
How did you guys get together with Vusi Nova and even get him to feature on your single, uBuhle?
This is such a long story, and we always have so much fun telling it. Ok, so Vusi’s friend Buntu was friends with a sister’s friend of mine who happens to be an artist as well. So he’d asked the sister to give Buntu his demo and Ngqali tagged along. That’s when we’d given the sister our demo as well, and the rest we can say is history. It took a while because we understood that uBhut’ Vusi Nova was a busy guy buy we were so grateful that he listened to it and our music somehow spoke to him.
How did you come to be signed by Muthaland Entertainment?
It just kind of happened, it was such an exciting moment because we were jamming in a locked hall, next thing we meet Vusi Nova and the next we are being singed by Muthaland Entertainment.
In the song uBuhle you guys are singing about a beautiful girl and how her beauty makes you go crazy. Is there a specific female that inspired this song or is this just the theme of your music, appreciating beautiful ladies?
Well the inspiration came from Sihle, who actually had a crush on someone but the song developed into something more. It’s appreciating beautiful ladies and it’s also dedicated to the men out there that respect and love our women too.
What is next for this Xhosa boy band?
Well we will actually be performing with Vusi Nova on the 13th of October at Graceland in Secunda. They’ll be amazing performances by Bekezela and Bongani Radebe as well. We’re planning on touring with Vusi Nova as well, and we’re working on dropping our album next year.
