ACTRESS, TV presenter, singer and songwriter Noluthando “NollyNolz” Meje has returned to her first love - music - years after she put a pause on the melodies to pursue her other interests within the entertainment industry.
The 35-year-old released her EP iBali LoThando earlier this week and features an array of artists like rapper Reason, real name Sizwe Moiketsi, on Makhelwane, and on Piki Piki she features Boontle and Sweet Lemonade, among other collaborations.
Meje describes this music compilation as groovy, with touches on deep and soulful house, plus the popular Amapiano genre.
“This particular love letter is centred a lot around my experiences with love. It’s a love story and what I do in the EP is take you through a journey of what I’ve gone through and how I leave that all behind and start focusing on me and saying ‘now it’s time for me to enjoy life, to feel free and party’.
“This love letter tells you about those highs and the lows you experience when the love was good and when the love was bad,” she said.
Meje made her mark in the industry after competing in the popular singing competition Idols SA in 2003, making it to the top 12, and she used that platform to break into the industry and advance her brand.
Within that time, she released a song that got a nomination on the Metro FM Awards, and she also got television gigs and worked with a lot of prominent artists like Mo Flava. Everything came together as planned, she said.
But before the big break, music was always at the centre of who she is, she says.
“My love story with music began when I was very young. My mother introduced and inspired that love. I love varying music, I play it when I wake up and before I go to sleep. I believe music is in me, it’s in my blood,” she says.
“Returning to music was part of the plan for this year. I have always wanted to get back into music – it was just a matter of when and how because timing is important. Everything is about timing, and I just felt like this year was a perfect time, so everything just fell into place including the creative process,” she said, adding that she is excited as it has been a long time coming.
“The fact that I get to do it (music) my way and how I want to do it is really important to me and that is why I’m happy. I’m excited and I can’t wait for people to hear what I have been working on.
“This EP is inspired by my experiences and the things I’ve gone through. I had to take a look at that and use it to help me write something meaningful to me and that would equally make good music for listeners.
“And because I haven’t been active in the music industry for a long time, I thought it would be best to give people a taste of what I can do. So, I didn’t want to just do one song, I wanted to give people a variation of songs, and that also helps me avoid questions like ’when’s the next one coming out?’
“An album definitely is coming up and I will let you know as soon as it does,” she said.
The release of her EP is just another of Meje’s 2021 achievements, as she bagged herself a presenter gig on Mzansi Magic’s newest reality show Face 2 Face – which focuses on resolving issues in relationships.
“I am in such a good place mentally I’ve taken time to focus on my mental health by going to therapy and working on myself and that, for me, has done a lot for me. I’ve shared a bit about my journey on my social media – that the decision I made to go to therapy was the best decision I ever made and that has really put me in a good space mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
“There are obviously those days where sometimes you feel like you’re losing it but, as I said, on days like that, what I choose to do is be positive,” she said.
@AmandaMaliba