Samthing Soweto

Samkelo Lelethu Mdolomba (born 21 January 1988), known professionally as Samthing Soweto, is a South African singer and songwriter. Samthing is best known for his vocals on Sun-El Musician's song "Akanamali" and his number 1 single on spotify "Akulaleki".

Following his departure of the group The Soil, Mdolomba released his debut album, This N That Without Tempo (2010), which fuses a capella and soul. He then departed from his debut album's sound as he introduced fusions of Afro pop, and R&B for his second album, Isphithiphithi (2019), which became certified platinum by the Recording Industry of South Africa RiSA.

Life and career Early life Samkelo Lelethu Mdolomba was born and raised in Protea North, Soweto, a township of Johannesburg, South Africa. It was a nightmare but I went back nonetheless." At the age of 15, Mdolomba started using Mandrax, and was also involved in crime-related actions in order to escape difficulties he faced at home. The choir was led by Buhlebendalo Mda, who was later one of the vocalists of the a cappella group The Soil. His sentence was suspended and he was sent to a youth detention center in Krugersdorp, West Rand.

The Fridge After leaving The Soil, Mdolomba continued with the nu jazz group, The Fridge. The band consisted of a drummer, Ade Omotade, bassist Muthusi and Mdolomba as the vocalist; it gained success in playing on local shows and festivals, including The Loft at Melville, Gauteng. The group released their debut EP, Bass Drum & Sam, in 2011 through digital media. The Fridge disbanded in 2015 due to two members, Thusi and Ade, relocating. Following his debut studio album, This N That Without Tempo, which was independently released on 6 August 2010, Mdolomba released his debut EP, Eb'suku, on 4 January 2014. In support of Eb'suku, Mdolomba headlined the 2014 Joy of Jazz Festival, representing "Sounds Of Democracy". He also performed at the Rocking The Daisies Festival held on 2–5 October 2014 at Cape Town, Western Cape. That same year, he composed and performed the title sequence of the drama series Rhythm City, and also appeared on the soundtrack of the drama film Otelo Burning.

In 2015, Mdolomba appeared on the Coca-Cola-sponsored live-music television series Coke Studio Africa, alongside artist Spoek Mathambo and bassist Shane Cooper. In May 2017, Mdolomba made his superior breakthrough with his feature on the Sun-El Musician song "Akanamali". The song received South African Music Awards for Best Collaboration, SAMPRA highest airplay, and SAMRO highest airplay at the 24th South African Music Awards.

On 20 September 2019, his second studio album, Isphithiphithi, was released. The album broke the record of the highest number of users "pre-adding" the album on the streaming service Apple Music South Africa, before the release of the album; the record was previously held by singer Billie Eilish. He released four singles for the album, including "Akulaleki" (featuring Sha Sha) which peaked number-one on the local Apple Music chart. The song "Akulaleki" was certified gold. At the 26th ceremony of South African Music Awards, Isphitiphithi received the Best Afro Pop Album award.

2022–present: Upcoming projects In early January 2022, he announced his upcoming live album which is set to be recorded on the second quarter of 2022.

In March 2022, Soweto teased "Amagents" single on his Instagram account. The song was released on June 24, 2022. It debuted number one in South Africa. The song was certified gold in South Africa.

In July 2022, Soweto embarked on his Now or Never tour, which included two dates.

Tours Now or Never (2022)

Discography Studio albums + List of albums, with selected details, sales figures and certifications Title Album details Certifications This N That Without Tempo Released: 6 August 2010 Label: Independent Formats: digital download, CD Isphithiphithi Released: 20 September 2019 Label: Independent Formats: digital download, CDRiSA:Platinum Danko! Released: 11 December 2020 Label: Youbuntu Formats: digital download, CD

Singles As lead artist

Awards and nominations