Former actress Mbali Nkosi is stepping fully into the music world with the release of her first EP Elements, set to drop on May 23. In an honest and emotional interview with TshisaLIVE, she opened up about how her love for music began long before her acting career—and how personal struggles like depression delayed her dream.
“It’s something that’s been a long time coming,” she shared. “Through the times, I kept saying I would do it but [you know how it is] with depression, and people don’t understand how depression pauses everything. In between my acting I’d take lessons.”
Although most know her from her time on screen, Mbali has been quietly working in the background of the music industry for years. As a young girl, she co-wrote songs for major artists and even helped write Free, a track for Lira and Denim, alongside Thembi Seete. The song was nominated for a South African Music Award (SAMA).
She recalled just how much effort she put in during her school years: “The day before my final maths matric exam I was in studio with Thembi writing Free and I only got home at 6am to go to school at 8am to write my exam. We were putting in the time. There wasn’t a platform to show the amount of work we put in at that time.”
Three years ago, she made the brave choice to go to DJ school, fully committing herself to the craft. “When I went to DJ school I wanted to do hip-hop purely because hip-hop DJs have more technical skill than house DJs because they play more with loops and all. Once I understood what DJing is, that’s when I made the decision to be an Afropop DJ. I wanted to be respected by DJs.”
While more and more women are becoming DJs, Mbali was in the music scene long before the spotlight was on female DJs. Now, she’s ready to take center stage with her own sound, and big names in the industry are noticing. DJ Warras, Khuli Chana, DJ Zandi, and even Black Motion have all shown their support. In fact, it was Black Motion who reached out to collaborate with her on her first single Moto, released last November. “That was unexpected. They [Black Motion] hit me up. It was beautiful,” she said.
Mbali studied piano, musical theatre, and dance in art school, making music and performance a lifelong passion. Now, she’s determined to grow as an Afropop DJ and take her music across the globe—playing at festivals and clubs around the world.
