A Dream Come True:
South African-Born, New York-Based Neo Soul Artist Noba, Releases Debut Single “Tell Me”.
South African-born and New York-based Neo Soul artist Noba, is flying the mzansi flag high and beams with joy, as her dream of graduating from the College Of Performing Arts- The New School in New York has come true; and finally releasing her official debut single “Tell Me”.
As a vocalist majoring in Jazz and Contemporary music, Noba- real name Nobantu Msweli, says studying music has always been the goal and moving to New York seemed far-fetched initially, until she was accepted to study in the Big Apple and received immense support from her parents to pursue her dream.
“Music has always been my greatest passion. I had settled my mind and accepted that I’d study in South Africa but when I received an acceptance letter to study overseas, it was almost confirmation that I really should do this. My parents’ support boosted me a lot too”.
A jazz-infused sensual love song that evokes iconic black female predecessors such as Jill Scott, Sade, India Arie and the likes, Noba wrote Tell Me at a point of confusion- frustrated at the lack of direction and clarity from a previous relationship. Speaking about the song, she says:
“In the summer of 2019 I was going through a breakup and the song was born from that. I was frustrated at the time because I didn’t understand where the relationship was going and the lack of effort to ‘make it work’ was enough for me to make a decision to let go. I honestly didn’t expect it to hurt as much though”.
Inspired by artists such as Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Sarah Vaughan, Lalah Hathaway and Gregory Porter to name a few; Noba has aspirations to create music that is rich and uplifting whilst bringing her passion for love, life and social justice to the forefront.
Tell Me is available across all digital music streaming platforms.
More about Noba:
Captivated by music from an early age, Noba is a singer-songwriter who was born in Mpumalanga South Africa and raised in Johannesburg before making her way to the U.S.
Having recently graduated from The College of Performing Arts – The New School. As a Vocalist majoring in Jazz & Contemporary Music. She began her musical journey at the young age of six years old, taking on piano lessons, singing in church alongside her mother and being involved in school choirs and various art programs.
Drawing from her rich heritage and worldly influences. Her sound is a fusion of Jazz, RnB, Neo Soul and Pop, her voice gives off a clear, smooth and yet warm feel.
In 2016, Noba earned first place in the “Battle of the High School Bands” for her vocal performance. In New York, she has performed at venues including Madison Square Garden, The Bowery Ballroom, Sound of Brazil, and Gold Sounds Bar.