iimini nentsuku
iimini nentsuku by Thando Skwatsha
Written and performed by Thando Skwatsha
Composed and produced by Milan Rendall
Recorded at RNDL Co Studio, Cape Town
Engineered by Milan Rendall
Mixed by Sheriff Mumbles
Mastered by Christian Wright
Visual ID by Vivek Rendall
Released on: November 18th 2022
iimini nentsuku
"iimini nentsuku (which means days and nights) is the first full project that I have written entirely myself. It is close to my heart because every song is written in my home language of isiXhosa as well as isiZulu. The recurring theme in the album is past love. However, themes of hope can be heard on the songs iskhalo sabantwana and all night respectively. Key stories from events in my life can be found on the songs imali, iskhalo sabantwana and all night. In these songs I discuss childhood, hope and the story of a man who came to ask my family for money. I wrote this album with the intention that people would be left feeling hopeful, that it will leave them having experienced something new and different from what they may have heard from me previously. Writing in vernacular has allowed me to dive deeper into who I am and allows people to relate to me more closely. I hope to leave people hopeful and inspired."
Tracklist:
isaziso
The song is a story that Thando wrote about his ancestors and the need for him to be heard at this point in his life. The meaning of the song's name is ‘notification’. He describes the transition from childhood to adulthood and the shift in perception and relationship that this creates in his relationship with his mother and father.
ibali
Ruminating on a by-gone unrequited love. Not because that love was not reciprocated, but because, for cultural reasons, it was not allowed to exist. Thando recalls holding in his heart both the excitement for a love that, in another lifetime, could have existed, with the pain and frustration of the reality of cultural and traditional acceptance.
thandolwami
‘thandolwami’ is a ballad that Thando wrote about a lover who broke his heart. Directly translated, the title means “My Love” in IsiZulu and the song describes the pain, grief and anguish that one goes through in the phases of heartbreak. Thando brings his traditional choral background to the fore on this record by singing canon to his lead in the chorus. Stripped back production and gentle atmosphere allow Thando’s immense emotion to shine through.
andazi
Thando speaks about the fears of the unknown but also persevering and finding one's own way in life. The song begins and ends with a traditional chant and is sung in IsiXhosa. It is a deeply spiritual, traditional song that aims to connect listeners with a space wherein they can address some of their personal challenges and difficulties and emerge with clarity by the end.
ngyazfela
‘ngyzafela’, translated from isiZulu to English as “I’m dying”, details a story in which a young couple is going through a difficult time in a public place. Thando describes the experience of jealousy that is creating the difficulty in this couple’s relationship and details this struggle in the second verse and chorus of the song. In a gentle, poetic way, Thando captures the challenges of being in love with someone and knowing that you may not be the only one.
mina nawe
Return is not an option this time. Thando describes the story of a couple who have fallen out of love, and for one of the two returning to that love is no longer possible. Sometimes there is power in walking away, and Thando outlines this power in “mina nawe”.
imali
“imali” is a story that Thando wrote about a friend named Phalo who comes frequently to his family home to ask him for money. Thinking that Thando is not telling him the truth, Phalo arrives at his home one day and disturbs Thando’s parents to which Thando responds in the chorus “Ndik’xalel’ inyani andinayo imali ukba bendinayo bendizakunika “ There is no money Phalo, if there was any I would give it to you.” Sung in IsiXhosa, Thando is a vessel for this story of struggle.
all night
“all night” is a song that Thando wrote about hope and believing in oneself. It is also a song that speaks about moving in love with everything you do and forgiveness. The song is performed in a combination of English and IsiXhosa.
iskhalo sabantwana
“iskhalo sabantwana”, sung in isiXhosa means “Childrens’ Cry” when directly translated into English. Here, Thando hopes to inspire young children to believe more in the good of the world than the bad that they see and come across. He knows that the bad in the world can be deceiving, and that the world has good in it if you have the courage to seek it out.
umuntu
We’ve all missed someone we love. Distance is something that often introduces an opportunity to reflect on the ways in which we miss that special person. Sung in isiZulu, “umuntu” is Thando’s reflection time, missing the one he loves.
khumbula
“khumbula” describes missing the one you love and reminiscing on the good times you had together. The track is simply framed, produced with minimalist aesthetics and modelled on a classic, tried and tested afrobeats recipe.
iimini nentsuku medley
“iimini nentsuku medley” is, as the name suggests, a production medley made up of key elements from every other song on iimini nentsuku, telling a coherent story about love, loss, courage and picking oneself up. Designed as an easter egg hunt, iimini nentsuku medley is intended to be a groove record, a pick-me-up record and a conclusion to the iimini nentsuku story
