Like many other spiritual healers called to do their work through art, Philadlozi Mfekai took several detours to better combine it with the gift of healing through music. His work – both as a musician and as a healer – seeks to share his ancestral wisdom and culture through his music, which he says was delivered to him in a series of dreams and visions; from the lyrics to the melody to the instruments. The singer, drummer and poet grew up in KwaSohulu near Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal with his 21 siblings and…
Like many other spiritual healers called to do their work through art, Philadlozi Mfekai took several detours to better combine it with the gift of healing through music.
His work – both as a musician and as a healer – seeks to share his ancestral wisdom and culture through his music, which he says was delivered to him in a series of dreams and visions; from the lyrics to the melody to the instruments.
The singer, drummer and poet grew up in KwaSohulu near Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal with his 21 siblings and two mothers from his father’s polygamous marriage.
“I remember when we used to do what we called imomela, where we would all get food from our mothers and share it – and it created a strong bond,” he said.
While Mfekai is surrounded by academics, he was the only child in his family who chose a different path.
“From a young age, my parents knew I was different.”
He detailed his childhood as “eventful” from nurturing relationships with his siblings to his father’s abduction during the violence of the ANC and IFP to the time he dropped out of school and left home to pursue his music career.
Apart from music, Mfekai has always had a passion for the military and fashion design.
He said his call to the music was louder, and no matter how hard he tried to avoid it, he knew it would always find him.
“I still want to be in the military. I know that my age now will not allow me to at least get an education, mainly because of the trauma my father went through during the ANC-IFP war,” he said.
Mfekai always set his sights on leaving the village to pursue his dream.
“I grew up thinking that anything I put my mind to, I could achieve. I developed a love for music in primary school, but in secondary school I got support and help in nurturing my talent,” he said.
“I started a choir at Sohulu Primary School and it didn’t work out. In high school I rejoined the school choir at iLanga libomvu where I was a vocalist and auditioned for Joyous Celebration that same year.
“I was accepted and sang as a junior tenor, which meant I had to move to Durban to be closer to the band at rehearsals.”
After a few months of singing with the internationally acclaimed SA Choir and the Umlazi High School Choir, he dropped out and eventually dropped out of school in Grade 11 and went busking on the streets to support himself.
“I lived alone in Emalangeni’s hut until one of my teachers, Sandile Ngwenya, called my family and told them that I had not been to school for a month,” he said.
“They took me home, but even then I decided to leave again, and then they said, ‘Either you go back to school or we suspend you.’
In true Mfekayi fashion, he returned to Durban where he met a man named Makaveli, who promised to help him with his music career and convinced him to move to the city of gold, Mfekayi said.
He began to narrate his journey to Joburg.
“When I came to Joburg, I stayed with different friends because I couldn’t afford to pay the rent. We had to share the money we made because Makaveli quit his job to help me realize my dream,” he said.
“Usually we earned from 300 to 1,500 rubles. With the money he earned, he asked me to at least buy diapers and milk for his newborn at that time.
“Makaveli left when things didn’t work out and I continued to live on the streets, sleep under bridges and drive around the city from Braamfontein, Mandela Square and near the SABC in Auckland Park.”
While outside the SABC, he met a number of leaders who offered him contracts, which he turned down because they did not seem spiritually authentic.
He also did not want to abandon his dream of finding a job, because “at that time I felt a calling like never before.”
Mfekai’s parents had no idea where he was until rapper Siyabonga Nene aka Big Zulu went live on Facebook and exposed him.
His parents called him shortly after and he explained the whole story.
He contacted his brother Sabela, who had been in Joburg for 12 years, and he helped him find accommodation.
“I knew he was here, but I didn’t want to be a burden because he had his family too.”
During the trip, Mfekai met his manager, Kudzai Gwaze, who posted a video of him on social media that caught the attention of DJ Maphorisa and Black Coffee.
“I have no regrets, good or bad, every event or situation I’ve been through has shaped the way I see life and helped me meet the people I have in my life,” he said.
Mainly influenced musically by the late greats Busi Mlonga and Oliver Mtukudi, the praise singer has been described as an old soul, a hidden gem and a passionate visionary whose music is a gift of spiritual awareness as a means of healing and understanding.
Not only has he made a name for himself as a praise singer in SA, he was also among the many invited guests at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in Las Vegas.
He will also release a new single titled Amalobolo.
