South African R&B singer Langa Mavuso arrives with his debut album LANGA. Two years ago Mavuso emerged from his home city of Johannesburg with his Liminal Sketches EP. The breakthrough single “Sunday Blues” got him local notice and soon he was being heard by global tastemakers. Earlier this year he built anticipation for LANGA with the songs “Love Lost” produced by FARR’s Linden Jay (Chloe x Halle, Lion Babe, Duke Dumont) and “Panther” produced by duo Noble who just worked with Beyoncé on The Lion King: The Gift album. Mavuso says,Â
“This album is inspired by heartbreak. This is me taking a moment to look in the mirror and reflect on self, through the journey of this heartbreak, and you’ll see three different phases of this journey play out throughout the album, with every four songs; in the beginning, we reflect on the pain and upset caused by losing love, with this part of the album expressing the initial acceptance of a relationship ending. In the second part, we step into a more tumultuous part of the heartbreak; inspired by the sounds of nightclubs and a lifestyle that can be described as a distraction.
Most of the music in this second phase is me exploring a new version of myself and ultimately looking for love in all the wrong places in the attempt to avoid dealing with the pain, but this charade all ends with a song called ‘Pretend’, which shifts the album’s focus back to internal work and spiritual alignment. The final part of the album starts with me praying for salvation, and leads to me finally accepting that this love is lost. This album is the honest sharing of my heart and a candid journal of my journey back to myself after losing love. It will make you cry, dance and maybe even smile. This is the window into my life through loveâ€.