The Soil is a South African

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

group from

Soweto Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...

founded in 2003, consisting of the lead singer Ntsika Ngxanga, beatboxer Luphindo, and vocalist Buhlebendalo Mda. The band eponymous debut LP ''The Soil'' (2011), which became certified platinum by the

Recording Industry of South Africa Recording Industry of South Africa (RISA) is a trade association representing the interests of major and independent record labels of South Africa. Located in Randburg, RISA is responsible for running the annual South African Music Awards (SAMA ...

(RiSA).

History

2003-2010: Formation

Its inception came about in 2003 when all the members met in Tikelo Secondary School during jam sessions. Back then the group was known as 'Particles of the Soil' and consisted of more than 4 members. As years passed, some members departed due to other engagements. In 2010, the group was down to four members: Buhlebendalo Mda (vocalist), Ntsika Ngxanga (main composer and vocalist), Luphindo (beatboxer and vocalist) & Samkelo Lelethu Mdolomba, commonly known by his stage name,

Samthing Soweto Samkelo Lelethu Mdolomba (born 21 January 1988), known professionally as Samthing Soweto, is a South African singer and songwriter. Samthing is best known for his vocals on Sun-El Musician's song " Akanamali" and his number 1 single on spotify " ...

. Mdolomba was involved during the recording process of the group's first album, however, due to contractual disputes and creative differences, Samkelo decided to leave and form the contemporary jazz group The Fridge where he served as the lead vocalist.

2010-2017: ''The Soil'', ''Reflections: (Live In Joburg)'' , ''Nostalgic Moments'', ''Echoes of Kofifi''

In 2011, The Soil released their self-titled debut LP ''The Soil'' which achieved platinum status, selling over 50,000 copies. On October 7, 2013, their debut

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

''Reflections: (Live In Joburg)'' was released and won Best R&B/Soul/Reggae Album at 2014 South African Music Awards. Their second album ''Nostalgic Moments'' was released digitally 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 ...

on 15 September 2014. It was made available for hard copy purchase on 22 September 2014. ''Nostalgic Moments'' received positive review from music critics. The album includes guest appearances by

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of ''isicathamiya'' and '' mbube''. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album ''Graceland'', and have won m ...

and hip hop artist

Khuli Chana Khulane Morule (born August 27, 1982), better known by his stage name Khuli Chana, is a South African Motswako rapper. Early life and career Morule was born in the Mmabatho, North West Province and started rapping motswako at a young age. He wa ...

. At the 14th ceremony of

Metro FM Awards The 15th installment of the annual Metro FM Music Awards is an award ceremony that celebrates excellence in the South African music industry by honouring musicians who did exceedingly well in their field throughout 2015. The show first aired on SABC ...

, the band won Best Produced Album (''Nostalgic Moments'') and Best Duo/Group. In 2015, the band was nominated for Best International Act: Africa at

BET Awards 2015 The 15th BET Awards was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California on June 28, 2015 and was televised on BET. This year marked the ceremony's 15th anniversary and the milestone was celebrated throughout the show, which was hosted by ...

. On October 21, 2016, their third studio album titled ''Echoes of Kofifi'' was released in South Africa and met positive review from music critics. The album was nominated for and South African Music Awards in the Best Engineered Album, Best duo/group of the Year and Best Afro-pop Album category. The band further promoted album with Nostalgic Moments Tour in July 2014 at Emalahleni. In June 2020, the band made their decision to take an indefinite hiatus to pursue solo projects.

2021-present: Upcoming album, concert tour

In November 2021, the band was reportedly working on an album. The band embarked on A Decade With The Soil Tour on December 3, the tour included two dates that ran through December 2021.

Members

The Soil currently consists of four members: Buhlebendalo "Soil Sister" Mda, Ntsika "Fana-tastic" Ngxanga, Luphindo "Master P" Ngxanga and Theo "Songstress" Matshoba. Theo joined the group in February 2016 as an occasional replacement for Buhlebendalo Mda. Ntsika and Luphindo are biological brothers. During interviews, The Soil usually refers to

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

as the first member of the group.

Musical style and influence

The Soil musical style has mainly been described as

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, Hip hop,

Afro-pop African popular music (also styled Afropop, Afro-pop or Afro pop), like Music of Africa, African traditional music, is vast and varied. Most contemporary genres of African popular music build on cross-pollination with western popular music. M ...

, and

Afro-soul Afro-soul is a music genre that has African characteristics of soul music. It has emotional vocals, especially of the lead singer. There is a very strong link between Afro-soul and other genres like Afro-Jazz, Amapiano, and Afrobeats. Notable ...

. The band cited

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, jazz, a ...

Busi Mhlongo Busi Mhlongo (28 October 1947 – 15 June 2010), born as Victoria Busisiwe Mhlongo, was a singer, dancer and composer originally from Inanda in Natal, South Africa. Biography Mhlongo drew on various South African styles such as Mbaqanga, Mask ...

Brenda Fassie Brenda Nokuzola Fassie (3 November 1964 – 9 May 2004) was a South African singer, songwriter, dancer and activist. Affectionately called MaBrrr by her fans, she is also known as the "Queen of African Pop", the "Madonna of The Townships" or si ...

, and

Simphiwe Dana Simphiwe Dana (born 23 January 1980) is a South African singer and songwriter who works mostly in her mother tongue, the Xhosa language. Dana is also known for her creative social commentary and activism through music as a political art form. ...

as their music influence.

Discography

*''The Soil'' (2011) *''Nostalgic Moments'' (2014) *''Echoes of Kofifi'' (2016)

Awards and nominations

Metro FM Awards

! , - , rowspan="2", 2015 , rowspan="2", ''Nostalgic Moments'' , Best Produced Album , , rowspan="2", , - , Best Duo/Group ,

South African Music Awards

, - , 2014 , Reflections Live In Joburg , Best RnB, Soul and Reggae ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Soil South African musical groups Musical groups established in 2003 A cappella musical groups