LISTEN | Vuyo & Savita Mbuli's son Rudy Chalmers is making his own mark on the world

26 July 2021 - 07:00 By deepika naidoo
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Sithenkosi Mbuli, aka Rudy Chalmers, is making his debut in Mzansi album 'Fears & Fantasies'.
Sithenkosi Mbuli, aka Rudy Chalmers, is making his debut in Mzansi album 'Fears & Fantasies'.
Image: Supplied

Young, debut musician Sithenkosi Mbuli, better known to the streets as Rudy Chalmers, is making a name for himself in the music industry, proving that talent runs in his veins.

The hip-hop/jazz/soul musician's stage name Chalmers is an ode to his father's middle name — the late well-loved-Mzansi TV personality Vuyo Mbuli.

Chatting to TshisaLIVE, the upcoming star says he is a humble SA artist looking to make his dreams come true.  

“I am just a young SA boy who has dreams of making a life for myself by manifesting his passion into art, manifesting his dreams and thoughts into art others can consume,” said Rudy.

Listen here: 

Rudy admitted that he feels like being that son of the late Morning Live host and Savita Mbuli has made people more open to the idea of his talent as it's in his blood. He also feels some amount of pressure to excel.

“I think that people have kind of been more open to me trying to make my way into the entertainment space and into the music industry but also there has been some kind of expectation that I will be able to make it, or there has been a small, little pressure of 'this is Vuyo's son, this is Savita's son so he is going to have to do this well'.

“But I think more so the openness and support and the excitement about me trying to venture into a similar path as my parents. That's been the overwhelming reception that I have got,” he said.

His debut album Fears & Fantasies features an audio clip of the star's father and the late former president Nelson Mandela chatting about music. The young star hopes to honour his father and the late SA leader. 

“I hope that they can take away a little memory of both of those iconic SA figures, just by hearing their voices. For me, it's so beautiful to hear my dad's voice again like that.

“We chose that specific clip because we felt that it was relevant because it's my dad asking  Mandela what his musical taste is and who his favourite artists are. I think that interview took place in 2001/2002, so I was super young. So  I had no idea it existed until I was 15. So for me personally, hearing my dad speaking to Nelson Mandela is quite a lovely thing to hear and I hope that people will feel the same way when they listen to it because Mandela's voice is so distinct, homely and Mandela-like,” he said.

The star said that his musical roots started with his love for pantsula, and he dreams of working with Shane Eagle in the near future.

“My biggest influences came when I was probably about 5/6/7 years old. I used to love pantsula music, I used to love Brown Dash, Mandoza, I used to love DJ Sbu.

“Shane Eagle is a huge influence for me, I love his style, I love the honesty that he raps with. In SA right now, Shane Eagle would be a huge feature for me. That would probably be my dream feature for me,” Rudy said. 


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