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 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 (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 and hip hop artist
Khuli Chana. At the 14th ceremony of
Metro FM Awards, 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 as the first member of the group.
Musical style and influence
The Soil musical style has mainly been described as
Jazz,
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.
The band cited
Miriam Makeba,
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, 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