For one night only: superstar Nakhane to perform at Constitution Hill

When I last spoke to musician, writer and actor Nakhane, in November 2019, they were riding the wave of international critical acclaim and praise from superstars like Madonna for their 2018 album You Will Not Die, which they were returning to their homeland to promote in a series of whirlwind gigs after having recently relocated to London. Little did any of us know that those gigs would be the last time the now-34-year-old artist would be in the country of their birth thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now, as Nakhane gets ready for what is their only scheduled performance this year at the Bassline I Am Live Festival at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, on May 21, we spoke about the effects of the lockdown on the performer’s mental health, what they can tell us about plans for the release of their long-delayed second album and how they’re feeling about coming home.

Explain the rollercoaster of emotions you experienced during those 15 months of lockdowns in the UK?

As lockdown was beginning to become something real I thought, “Well I spend time with myself anyway so this is going to be great.” Of course, I wasn’t the only person who thought that. At that point we were all being selfish about it and didn’t realise how awful the pandemic was going to be. It’s a weird purgatory — you don’t have any outlets and then it starts becoming internalised and all those shitty thoughts that you had about yourself are magnified.

You don’t think, “Oh this is bullshit,” and then a show takes over and you feel good about yourself or you go to a gallery or meet friends at a pub. I started drinking and it got really difficult, especially towards the third lockdown ... around August things were starting to get really dark. I struggled to make anything.

You moved out of London to the countryside with your partner, you got a dog and things started getting better. Have you remained there?

I’m Back in South London baby! And now I have an incredible dog I’m obsessed with. We thought let’s just go up to the country and we’ll live there for a few months. Fifteen months later we were there and I needed to come back to the city. I needed London: I needed brown faces, I needed to hear the melting pot.

How did not being able to visit SA affect you?

It's a weird feeling. I haven't been away from home for that long. It’s been almost three years and I’ve felt that gut-wrenching sense of alienation from South Africa. I felt for the first time like there was a glass door between me and the country and I could see it but the sound was more muffled than before. [The performance is a] baptism by fire because South African audiences are the most wonderful in the world - when they love you, they love you but if they’re not that into you they'll tell you. That makes me work harder.

Can you tell us anything about the new album?

I can’t say much. I’m not allowed to play all of the songs from the album but hopefully I’ll be able to play one, which we're adding to our set - the first single. I’m excited about it.

After the disruption to your plans by the pandemic, are plans for Nakhane global domination back on track?

I have no designs to be influential but people espouse it. I find that cringey. I want to become the musician I dreamed of becoming. I want to make  enough money to take care of my family and live a comfortable life but the idea that we should all drive Porsches and live in f**king manors is ridiculous. I have no designs on that. I’m still open to acting roles, I’m writing a new novel and I have a fantastic new literary agent, so that’s exciting.

Has the experience of the pandemic changed your perspective on what’s important to you?

Time! Because it slips through my hands. Time, health and (I know this sounds lame) not to be tired. The dog is really important to me too. By “time” I mean doing things, actually sitting down and making something — playing guitar, playing the piano, sitting down and doing those things. You can fool yourself into saying, “When I’m watching Mozart in the Jungle I’m doing research,” but you’re wasting time. I’ve been lucky enough to be blessed with the faculties and the channels to create things so I've got no right to waste my time.

• Nakhane performs as part of the Bassline I Am Live Festival at Constitution Hill on May 21 alongside Sun El Musician, Bongeziwe Mabandla, Ms Party and Aurus. Tickets are R320 and available from howler.co.za