Johannesburg-based singer and songwriter Vuyolwethu Matomana, known by his stage name VN Matshaya, is making waves with his soulful blend of Afropop and soul music that speaks to the heart and the spirit.
Born in the Eastern Cape, VN Matshaya’s love for music began early. At just 12 years old, he started singing in church and participating in school music activities, where his passion for sound and expression began to take shape. Over the years he refined his artistry, studying piano and performance, ultimately finding his voice as a vocalist and backing vocalist in Johannesburg’s vibrant music scene.
His latest single, Masibuyele Embo (translated as “Let Us Return to the Source”), carries a powerful message about reconnecting with African indigenous spirituality. The song, rich in emotion and layered meaning, reflects on how colonial influences have distanced Africans from their spiritual and cultural roots.
“Masibuyele Embo speaks of the African indigenous spirituality that must be restored to our African spiritual identity,” says Matshaya. “It expresses the sadness and disappointment that we, as Africans, have been colonised into a way of worship and life that isn’t ours.”
In the song Matshaya laments how many Africans have abandoned ancestral practices, forsaking sacred elements such as the cosmic mountain, the tree of life and the waters of life — ancient symbols of prayer, gratitude and connection to the divine. He believes this spiritual disconnect has contributed to material and moral poverty.
“We even call our ancestors demons, because that’s what other religions have taught us. In doing so we’ve betrayed our ancestral celestial prototype and turned away from the source of our being.”
Despite its sorrowful undertone, Masibuyele Embo is a song of gratitude and hope. VN Matshaya dedicates it to Imboni, Inkosi Yamakhosi Omoya Uzwi-Lezwe Radebe, whom he describes as a divine messenger chosen to restore African indigenous spirituality. Radebe is the founder and leader of The Revelation Spiritual Home, a movement Matshaya says has “spread across the world, reigniting the flame of African spirituality”.
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