Nkosinathi Mankayi (born 23 December 1982), professionally known as Nathi, is a South African singer-songwriter and artist. He shot to limelight upon the release of his critically acclaimed song titled " Nomvula" off his triple-platinum debut studio album ''

Buyelekhaya ''Buyelekhaya'' is the debut studio album of Nathi, a South African recording artist. The album singles " Nomvula" and "Noba Ngumama". It was released on 10 March 2015 under Muthaland Entertainment. Commercial performance Upon the release of '' ...

''. He later released his second album titled ''Umbulelo Wam'' on 28 October 2016. He is presently signed under Gallo Record Company.

Early life

Nkosinathi Mankayi was born among five siblings to a single mother in

Mthatha Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Matanzi ...

, a small town in

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

, South Africa. He grew up in Maclear, Eastern Cape, South Africa where he was educated and developed an interest in music and drawing. In 2006, Nathi was sentenced to 8 years in prison for a 2002 robbery-related crime. He was however released after serving 4 years.

Career

2008–2014: Early beginnings

With the aim of pursuing a career in music, Nathi competed and won a local music competition known as "Dare to Dream". He had his share of luck in November 2014 after

Vusi Nova Snova (born Vusimuzi Nongxa, 1984), commonly known by his former name Vusi Nova, is a South African singer. Born and raised in New Brighton, Gqeberha, Nova relocated to Johannesburg in 1998 at the age of 14 to pursue his career in music and signed ...

heard him sing and insisted on featuring him on a song titled "Noma Kanjani", a song that was well received and went on to get massive airplay around South Africa. Nathi has one child born in 2017 and a sister who is also a singer.

2015–2017: ''Buyelekhaya'' and ''Umbulelo Wam''

Nathi started recording his debut studio album titled ''

'' in late 2014, releasing " Nomvula" as its lead single in 2015. Upon the release of the song, it became an instant hit, winning the "Best Selling Full-Track Download" at the

22nd South African Music Awards The 22nd Annual South African Music Awards was held on 4 June 2016 at Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa and was hosted by Somizi Mhlongo and Thando Thabethe. The nominees were announced on 21 April 2016 w ...

. On 10 March 2015, through Muthaland Entertainment, Nathi released ''

'' to critical and commercial acceptance by going platinum within six weeks of its release, selling over 128,000 units. At the

, Nathi won five awards with ''Buyelekhaya'' winning the "Best-Selling Album of the Year" and "Best R&B / Soul / Reggae Album" categories. On 28 October 2016, he released a 12-track sophomore album titled ''Umbulelo Wam''. The album charted on #2 on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

and sold over 35,000 units.

2018-2022: ''Iphupha Labantu''

He signed a record deal with Gallo Record Company and release his third studio album ''Iphupha Labantu'' on July 27, 2018. The album won award for Best African Adult Contemporary Album at 25th South African Music Awards.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

{{Authority control 1982 births Living people South African singer-songwriters 21st-century South African male singers People from the Eastern Cape Xhosa people Soul musicians