Nakhane Touré

South African polymath Nakhane confronts entrenched assumptions surrounding gender and sexuality through intensely personal, intellectually charged songs that fuse electro-pop with soul, placing his striking, soaring vocal presence at the forefront.

Nakhane Mavuso entered the world in 1988 in the modest settlement of Alice in the Eastern Cape. At seven he was adopted by his aunt, taking her surname Mahlakahlaka and relocating with her to Port Elizabeth, where a strict Christian environment shaped his upbringing. Choir rehearsals with her exposed him to soul figures including Marvin Gaye, after which he encountered local trailblazers such as Busi Mhlongo, Hugh Masekela, and Brenda Fassie. An intellectually voracious youngster fixated on literature and music, he participated in the school wind band and steel band, lent his voice to the choir, and appeared in stage productions.

During adolescence he disclosed his homosexuality to relatives, who required him to submit to conversion therapy, an approach he initially accepted. At fifteen he departed for Johannesburg, still wrestling with questions of identity. There he pursued studies in acting, film music composition, and literature, though he never completed his degree. Turning toward a professional music path, he began gigging in clubs under the stage name Touré, inspired by Malian traditions. Sony’s Just Music imprint offered him a contract, resulting in the 2013 acoustic-folk debut Brave Confusion, where he sought to harmonize his Christian beliefs with his sexuality—an effort he ultimately abandoned by renouncing his faith.

The 2015 single “We Dance Again” with South African house mainstay Black Coffee brought wider attention, followed in 2016 by publication of his debut novel, Piggy Boy Blues. His first screen role arrived the next year in the feature Inxeba (“The Wound”), which examined same-sex desire within traditional Xhosa society; the performance garnered multiple honors yet triggered fierce opposition, including death threats from segments of the Xhosa community. Seeking broader international exposure, he relocated to London, shed the surname Touré, and teamed with producer Ben Christophers for his sophomore album. Issued by BMG in 2019, You Will Not Die merged electronic pop, soul, and gospel elements, at moments evoking Terence Trent d’Arby, while its candid songwriting traced his journey toward self-acceptance.