Nakhane Heals His Wounds

Spiritual, sexual and personal rebirth reign supreme for South African-born musician/actor/novelist Nakhane.

Nakhane is an artist greatly moulded and informed by the struggles of his past: from coming to terms with his own sexuality to the violent threats he received after starring in 2017 film 'The Wound', which led to him relocating to London.

It's a story of brutal self-realisation that has culminated in his latest album, 'You Will Not Die', released back in March, which Nakhane thinks of as his debut, despite the fact of his 2013 album 'Brave Confusion'. “'You Will Not Die' is an album I really controlled as a songwriter, I did what I wanted to do,” Nakhane says.

“I had this idea in my head that the songs [on 'Brave Confusion'] were a little bit half-baked and needed a little more time, but that's my own sh.t because people who loved that album loved that album, and some people love it more than 'You Will Not Die'. So that's my own nonsense.”

Remarkably introspective and humorously self-deprecating, Nakhane is almost dismissive of his previous bodies of work in light of what he has achieved on 'You Will Not Die', preferring to think of them as stepping stones to the next phase of what has already been an eclectic career.


“I must always look at the work I've done before as a jumping [-off] point for me to become a better musician otherwise I'll always be stuck, and I don't want to do that ever,” he says.

“Now I'm more drawn to being able to let go, it doesn't always have to be a masterpiece in my eyes – I don’t even think masterpieces exist. I think they are a construct because they are based on what? Based on whose opinion? Based on what school? And at what time and with what prejudices?”

If there's one thing Nakhane is familiar with, it's prejudice. After starring in 'The Wound' – John Trengrove's film about male bonding in the Xhosa community (the ethnic group to which Nakhane also belongs) – he became a target for violent and largely religiously-motivated homophobia in his home country.

Now living under a mononym in the relative safety of London, Nakhane looks toward his next creative endeavours, namely his upcoming Australian tour in January. “When I do soundcheck I think 'oh my God, I hope someone comes',” he laughs.

“Then I spend the next two hours getting ready and I think 'if ten people come, f..., ten people have made the decision to buy tickets, drive over or take the bus or whatever, buy a drink, stand in front of you and listen to you sing – what a goddamn gift that is.”

Outside of music and film Nakhane is also a published author, with his novel 'Piggy Boy's Blues' released in 2015, and says he's been writing again albeit slowly, much to his publisher's chagrin. “I've been writing for my next album, and also writing a lot of essays recently,” he says.

“I do short stories as well, which my publisher is annoyed by. She likes the short stories but she's like 'yeah, it's great but start a novel: you could be halfway through a goddamn novel now!'”

Nakhane Australia Tour 2019

Fri 18 Jan - Sydney Festival
Sun 20 Jan - Mona Foma Festival (Launceston)
Thu 24 Jan - The Tivoli Theatre (Brisbane)
Fri 1 Feb - Melbourne Museum
Sat 2 Feb - Howler (Melbourne)