Mlu the Vocalist
He describes his style of music as a variety of soulful textures and says his writing ability allows him to sing anything from neo soul, soulful house, and adult contemporary music.
But it took many years and experience for singer and songwriter Mlu Mthethwa to be able to define his style and to be sure of his sound.
We caught up with the star to find out what he's been up to lately.
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He's got a new single out and is enjoying seeing how people are reacting to it.
Mlu has backed some of the most prominent musicians and producers in the world; including the likes of Vince Harder (Australia), Travis Cherry (USA), and AR Rahman, Grammy award-winning producer to India Arie, Jagged Edge, and Jermain Dupree.
In his early days as an artist, Mlu toured Europe and America with the late Miriam Makeba.
“This is where I learned the art of combining Afro music and Western sounds and I learned a lot about the rest of the world,” he says.
“Mama Miriam taught me there are no boundaries in the music. Working with her was humbling,” he says.
Mlu was on the original cast of the Broadway musical production of the Lion King in Sydney, 2003.
“I fulfilled the role as a cast ensemble and featured soloist. I had a very fulfilling experience and development as a Musical Theatre performer,” he says.
But, unfortunately, he sustained a serious back injury before he could go back on tour.
“I was injured in Australia. This was due to costume fault on stage. It was truly an unpleasant experience, but with time, I remarkably got better and was able to return and do the show again,” he says.
His professional journey in the music industry began when he recorded a live album with Joyous Celebration 2 in 1998 as a soloist. But the highlight of his career is working with Indian composer, musician, singer, and producer AR Rahman.
“The best moment of my career was the performance with AR Rahman in the Sydney Festival at the Jai Ho World Tour,” he says.
Here we performed to 80 000 full capacity and the festival was live on BBC channel internationally. AR Rahman had produced a hit song with Pussycat dolls,” he adds.
Mlu gained a lot of experience within the recording industry while working in the studio as a backing singer and songwriter for many award-winning projects.
Born in Umlazi, Kwa-Zulu What’s next for you?, Mlungisi was raised by a family highly influenced by Gospel music and his humble beginnings were motivation to reach international standards.
Mlu has taken his music to a new level within the RnB, NeoSoul Music communities around the world and he continues to grow in Southern Africa, Australia, Germany, France, UK, and the US. “It's time for the world to see what African has to offer,” he says.
In the future, Mlu hopes to work with Afrotraction, SunEl Musician, Monique Birmingham, Vusi Nova, and Amanda Black amongst a few.
“I have had many career highlights, which I hope to impart on the future generation of musicians,” he says.
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