Change is Here: Sephuma retraces her Sepedi roots

“Change is Here” is nothing short of a musical tour de force that skillfully combines a graceful sophistication with enough playfulness and whimsy to deliver a thoroughly listenable offering that never strays from Sephuma’s African roots. And like its predecessors, the latest from this multi award-winning artist will find a dominant (and lasting) place in the music collections of fans of quality music throughout the country, and beyond its borders.
You only need listen to “Thul’ umamele” straight after “Ga boMoloto” to get a glimpse of Sephuma’s ability to keep pushing the benchmark. The former is a simply brilliant track that thrusts Sephuma into a world where mbaqanga guitarwork and driving organs provide the backdrop for her vocals on the only Zulu song on Change is Here.
“Ga boMoloto”, meanwhile, is driven by a jazzy piano that spurs Sephuma’s vocals into Latino territory, the diversity of styles melding together in an irresistible way. Taken together, they reveal the sound of an artist in full flight.
“With maturity comes growth and with that the confidence to try out different things with the music,” Sephuma reveals. “We had great fun in the studio, playing around with which direction each song should go and creating something special for each one.”
The starting point for Change is Here was a desire by Sephuma to return to her Sepedi roots, making the album something of a homecoming for the girl from Polokwane who has turned into the flagbearer for soulful jazz that has its roots firmly planted in African soil.
Sephuma relates how many of her fans had pressed her to record an album of songs in the vein of the Sepedi “Mme Motswadi”, one of the tracks off 2005’s “New Beginnings”.
“So many people came up to me, at gigs and in the street and told me how much they adored that song, so when it came to the new album, it seemed a natural fit to go to my roots,” Sephuma explains.
Fittingly, joining Sephuma in this journey is producer, Selaelo Selota — who helmed her 2003 debut “A Smile, A Cry, A Dance” and who swiftly gathered the creative elements to assist the singer in executing her vision. The result is nothing short of mesmerising — and choosing to work with Selota was stroke of genius.
“When I thought about recording mostly in Sepedi, Selaelo was the only person who seemed just right for the job — he just understands where I am coming from and it made the studio work very easy and natural.”
The results of Sephuma and Selota’s longstanding creative relationship are easily heard on Change is Here. The album moves along at a graceful pace, revealing an increasing number of sonic treasures with each listen. Among these is perfect balance of Sephuma’s vocals against those of the track’s backing singers on “Lerato La Pelo Ya Ka”, a song that is already finding deserved traction at radio. And keep listening to “Gae” and you will discover that this reverential song hides a great deal of beauty within its simple folds.