Jabulile Majola

Adopted by a pastor’s family in rural Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal at the age of two, Jabulile Majola grew up in a home filled with song, faith and the warmth of 26 siblings. The gentle hum of church choirs and softly spoken prayers shaped his earliest years, offering a space where music felt like a language of its own.

Raised bilingually in isiZulu and English, his love for language revealed itself early — first in poems scribbled in quiet corners, then in rap verses recorded in small rural studios. Words became a way to make sense of the world, a thread connecting memory, place and feeling.

After school, he moved to Cape Town, where the unfamiliar landscapes and city sounds led him towards the storytelling traditions of Bon Iver, Paul Simon, Joseph Shabalala, and Leonard Cohen. Drawn to their honesty and tenderness, he began to shape his own sound — one that held both the rhythms of his childhood and the reflective textures of folk music.

Though born Jabulani Majola, he began working under the name Jabulile Majola, in honour of his mother. It felt like a quiet way to carry her name forward, to give the work a name rooted in care and belonging.

His music explores identity, memory and vulnerability with a kind of unguarded honesty. It’s tender, reflective work, marked by careful storytelling and a voice that lingers long after the last note.