Rising star Lilitha Bidla has a gem of a voice from the hills

Lilitha Bidla is the latest singing gem to surface from the Eastern Cape.

Hailing from deep rural Transkei, around Mount Ayliff, Bidla launched her album Ndim Lho in East London this month. The event was at the Eastern Cape Audio Visual Centre.
The 24-year-old describes her music as a fusion of traditional sounds, jazz and soul resulting in an intoxicating mix she labels Afro-soul jazz.
She grew up with her love for music, which included dabbling in poetry.
Lilitha, whose real name is Silindokuhle, explains: "I've always had a creative mind. Playing with words has always been something I enjoyed doing while people my age, back then, enjoyed playing outside.
"I also sang in Sunday school and school choirs."
She's already receiving a warm reception for her hit single Marikana which she says was inspired by the documentary released after the infamous massacre in the platinum belt of North West.
In the hit single she features renowned rapper and Bongo Maffin founder Stoan Seate.
She says the strong elements in the collaborations were the diversity of culture and the lyrical content carried in two different languages, Xhosa and Tswana, so that people understand and connect with the story.
Her debut album also titled Ndim Lho (meaning "this is me") is inspired by realities of life and personal encounters in her journey. She says the release is her bold statement to the industry that she has arrived to share her art.
In the three months that she's been in the game, she says she learned to be humble and to focus on the craft as advised by industry veterans Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse and Ringo Madlingozi.
Next Saturday Bidla hosts a special launch show for her people in the town of Mount Frere.

 

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