When the South African singer-songwriter and producer Samthing Soweto released his debut album Isphithipthi in September 2019, ripples of excitement were felt nationwide. Today, the prolific album attains its Platinum milestone in South Africa! With the help of Artist Services company, Platoon, the album broke pre-add records on Apple Music and it solicited a frenzy of media coverage and airwaves domination, paving an unforgettable summer season for Samthing Soweto’s Amapiano hits. Ably created in collaboration with a coterie of star writers, producers and vocalists such as Kabza De Small, DJ Maphorisa, MFR Souls, Mas Musiq, Sha Sha and Mlindo The Vocalist, the undertaking resulted in no musical drawbacks – just dance-floor fillers and distinct future classics.
True to Samthing Soweto’s eclecticism as an artist, the album does not only comprise of dance (Amapiano) music but it takes listeners on a poetic journey with tender Pop-Soul songs (so pertinent during the Lockdown) such as the title track “Isphithiphtihi”, “Nodoli” which was written for and about his own daughter, “Omama Bomthandazo” (an ode to the nation’s downtrodden mothers), and a track which has now become a local cultural meme, “Happy Birthday”; all of them hits in their own right.
With either Gold or Platinum status attributable to nearly every track on this timeless album, it’s affirmation of the Rolling Stonereview which described it as “verging on beatific”; and no deep listening, most certainly no skips are required, to get through this body of work. Isphithiphithi not only earned Samthing Soweto a staggering 9 #SAMA26 nominations; he also won the prestigious Best Afro Pop Album award this year.
