Last week Friday, the first day of being homebound, saw the release of Bongeziwe Mabandla’s iimini. An album that stirred my emotions as we step foot into 21 days of being by ourselves. And a week later, we have listened to it plenty of times. And will do so even more.
This is the third album of Mabandla and he captures the spirit of love, companionship and time sensitively. Whether you understand the lyrics or not, this album, gives the listener the opportunity to follow his journey. It especially hits home during an age where we’re all forced to reflect on our lives, relationships and businesses.
It comes as no surprise that iimini took the #1 spot on iTunes across all genres in South Africa at the weekend. And it didn’t stop there. The album ranked first in Botswana, 2nd in France, Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands and #23 in the US. A proud moment for SA music.
In the words of Mabandla.
“The album “iimini” starts off with meeting someone and how feelings evolve to love, and then the pain and heartache of being with someone. The last songs are about the end of relationship and the cutting of ties, and basically the separation of people who used to be incomplete without each other. iimini is about time, and how things eventually unfold. Time can change so much.”
Our times have definitely shifted and it is important that we keep supporting our local favourites and your fellow artists online. If lock-down brought anything to light, is that we need to focus on our digital footprint on the available streaming platforms.
Listen to iimini today.