As the year draws to a close, musicians are busy preparing hot music for the festive season. One such artist is reggae star Peter Khwalu.
Better known as Ras Pee Khwalu, his music career began to take off in 2018, when he recorded his first album, Ri Kho Phinyela. While the album was a dismal flop, it introduced him to the world of glitter.
It was only in 2022, when he released his second album, that hits such as I Love You Baby, Mafhungo ha Fheli, Vhaholefhali Ndivha Ndeme, and Vhaswa Dzhenani Tshikolo made people sit up and take him seriously.
The musician from Ngovhela Dzumbathoho, outside Thohoyandou, is currently compiling material for his third album, which he hopes to release before Christmas. This year alone, he has already released four singles: Nwana wa Mme Anga, Khosi Vho-Ratshinyiwaho II, I Love You Baby (remix), and Rito Gobagoba. These singles are building up to his forthcoming third album.
As the journey continues, he recently released a very hot single, My Soul Say Yes. The single stays true to Khwalu's reggae style but incorporates a gospel flavour. It was released on 20 November.
According to Khwalu, the single is about love among people, especially siblings. He says the song was inspired by the animosity in families where there is no peace and where siblings fight over everything, even very little things that could be easily resolved.
Regarding his shift from releasing albums to focusing on singles, Ras Khwalu explained that the rough economic times and the decline of the music industry had made it very difficult to release a full album within a short space of time.
"The music industry is under severe stress, and making single tracks has become the order of the game. We do tracks one by one until the required number is reached and then finally release a full album. This style also reduces the stress on the artist as they can work at their own pace without pressure. I am excited to have managed to record this many tracks, which are fast approaching the target number for a full album. The good part is that they are all well received by my fans," he said.