Bulo Dedicates His Latest Release To His Grandmother. Njabulo Masemola is a 31-year-old who you might know better as just Bulo. He has an EP out at the moment, which the streets seem to respond to. His soulful sounds bridge a gap between Afo-pop and the influence of amapiano in a way that makes his work most memorable. He is originally from Middelburg, Mpumalanga, but relocated in his younger years to Soshanguve, Pretoria, and grew up there, allowing the sounds of this hood to mould his artistic outlook.
Njabulo Masemola, affectionately known as “Bulo”, is the new kid on the block, working his way up the ladder and solidifying his name in the entertainment industry.Masemola shared details of his EP, “Toliboy Part 1”, a dedication to his grandmother, who has played a pivotal role in his music career.
The Mpumalanga-born talent said the EP would set the mood for the festive season, and highlighted that it is a body of work for those who love Amapiano fused with some deep house influence.The star-studded EP sees features from Mthunzi, Nana Atta, Nkosazana Daughter and Sino Msolo mixing his list with new artists such as Mbalenhle, Khan, Gmastermusiq and Zaba.
He spoke about the essence of the EP and explained that it was named after his grandmother, whose nickname was Toliboy.The EP is dominated by songs that are dedicated to her. “Basically, ‘Toliboy’ was supposed to be my first EP, but then it did not happen earlier this year, so I decided to release it now. The inspiration behind the song is that Toliboy is basically my grandmother’s nickname. It was given to her by her father, my great-grandfather. I decided to do it and commemorate her life, and I have songs on the EP that are dedicated to her,” said Bulo.
Asked what inspired his music, he said: “It’s several things, hence I’m saying that getting an idea of a song usually depends. So there’s no particular thing that really inspires me. Sometimes I could be watching television and there could be certain instruments playing, and something says to me, go to the studio. Or I could be listening to an old song,” he said.
Although he has recently introduced himself in the industry as an artist, he says his journey has been smooth sailing. “I started making music in 2008/09, but in terms of releasing music and being in the industry it happened this year. So it’s been a short journey. It’s been great. No hiccups. My music has been well received. My journey has been smooth sailing since I started in February.“
