Gospel singer Nontokozo Mkhize has made history with her hit single "Esandleni", becoming the most-streamed solo song by a female artist in a single week on Spotify South Africa, surpassing Adele's "Easy on Me".
The track has also secured a position in the top five of the Local Streaming Chart Top 10, according to the official South African charts, and has entered the top 10 on the Billboard South Africa rankings.
Mkhize, who first gained recognition as a backing vocalist, took to Instagram to express her gratitude, quoting a Bible verse:
"And the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!!!!."
The track has now reached over 3 million streams.
Mkhize's debut studio album "Lindiwe" made waves in the industry by earning over 1 million streams on Spotify South Africa in its first week.
This accomplishment ties her with Tyla's album "TYLA" for the highest first-week entry for a debut studio album by a South African female artist in history on the SA Spotify Weekly Album Chart.
Mkhize, whose real name is Nontokozo Hlengwa, started her musical career in 2017 as a backing vocalist.
Her work with artists like Benjamin Dube, Mondli Ngcobo, Naima Kay, Dumi Mkokstad, and Sjava set the stage for her breakout moment as a solo artist.
In May 2024, Mkhize was awarded Best Newcomer at the Metro FM Music Awards, a recognition that left many fans curious about the artist behind the name.
"I couldn’t believe it!" Mkhize admitted, recalling her reaction to winning the prestigious award.
“From the nomination, it’s been crazy, it’s not something that I expected. I only started being a solo artist last year, it’s huge winning the award, it’s exciting," she told IOL Entertainment.
Her solo career took off with the release of "Lu Strong", a collaboration with artist Nomfundo Moh. She also featured on Sjava’s album "Isibuko" on the track "Thixo".
IOL Entertainment.