As one of South Africa’s most exciting rising voices, Afro-Folk singer Jabulile Majola has built a loyal and dedicated following through his emotive storytelling, blending folk, acoustic, and traditional sounds. Now, he shares Isitifiketi – his debut solo EP – a deeply personal body of work rooted in faith, identity, and community.
The Zulu word isitifiketi translates to “certificate” – something witnessed and recognised. For Jabulile, this project is exactly that: an archival record of where he’s been, who he’s become, and the stories that have shaped him. “This project is about identity,” he says. “It’s rooted in time, movement, and the places and experiences that shape who we are. Growing up at a Children’s Home in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, storytelling was everything – from folk tales to stories about the world beyond. Life in the countryside was slow, and our imaginations made distant places feel close. Isitifiketi is a window into that world – a reflection on my faith, my memory, and my journey of becoming.”
Photography by Endinalo Moni
Across seven songs, Isitifiketi unfolds with clarity and emotional weight. The songs are deeply reflective, speaking to loss, longing, and the search for spiritual grounding. The EP includes previously released singles Isineke (featuring Thando Zide), uBhubesi, and Uyinkosi Yamakhosi, as well as a remastered version of the fan-favourite Woza Mntana.
At first listen, Isitifiketi sounds centred in loss and grief. Several songs trace the ache of losing loved ones – whether through death, abandonment, or emotional disconnection. But as you listen to Jabulile Majola’s poetic lyricism, you learn that it carries far more than only sorrow.
Faith, too, runs through the project. Not as rigid doctrine, but as something lived and felt. In Isitifiketi, the divine is not distant. It is present in every breath of memory and in every line of song.
Perhaps most impressively, Majola manages to turn echoes of pain heard across generations, communal hardships, into something sung and celebrated. These are songs that speak softly but strike deeply.
The heavy themes are delivered through an unrivaled tenderness – an emotional honesty that gives the EP its warmth. Bamba Isandla Sam’ is the exact admission of fragility, “I’m all feathers underneath”, that helps turn Isitifiketi into a healing body of work. While the ambiguity between romance and parental love in Woza Mntana allows us to see love for what it is. On Isitifiketi, love is not always easy or whole, but it is held with the utmost care.
The EP was developed by Cape Town-based independent record label Quiet Life Co. It is released by Quiet Life Co and distributed globally by PLATOON. Produced and mixed by Ross Dorkin (Beatenberg) with Greg Abrahams producing Woza Mntana, The EP was mastered by Mike Zietsman (PHFat), and features a Dolby Atmos mix on supporting platforms by Vicente Espi.
Isitifiketi balances high craft with emotional intimacy. Through voice, memory, and spirit, Jabulile Majola crafts something both deeply rooted and far-reaching. Isitifiketi is a sonic ceremony – an archive of loss, healing, and becoming. It doesn’t try to be loud. It just tells the truth, with grace.
About the photography and visual narrative portraying Jabulile as ‘The Every Day Man’ photographer Endinalo Moni shares, “I don’t really care how big I get or how many people I shoot, my biggest career moment will forever be my shoot with Jabulile Majola. On our first day we shot in four locations around the Northern Townships and at Monwabisi Beach. My favourite images were shot in my neighbourhood, Khayelitsha. I kept sending the shots I had hoped he’d choose for his cover but everyday I had a new favourite.”
Listen to Isitifiketi here
Press release courtesy of Quiet Life Co
