With the South African indie market growing and establishing an identity of its own, artists are constantly popping up with infectious releases, from the likes of Nirvana Nokwe, Rhea Blek, Langa Mavuso, Una Rams and many more. That market has an audience with a never ending appetite for good music. This creates a healthy space for young indie creatives to put their art out there and make their mark.

The same notion goes for Durban raised singer, songwriter and dancer Yanga Madlala who performs as Yanga YaYa. Yanga now plies his musical trade in the city of Cape Town which he has made his home. Slowly he has chipped his way into the South African musical spaces, with his first ever release coming early this year in July with the highly emotive, smooth classic R&B sounding **It Happens. The Gina Jeanz produced single set the tone and expectations, layered with chic vocals and written from a point of honesty. It quickly became the reference point for the young singer, he had announced himself as a solo act, being more than just Yanga that’s in Muzi’s Desire or the guy that was dancing in Shekhinah’s Please Mr music video.

En route to his debut extended play titled Elements, Yanga would shoot a music video for **It Happens and also collaborate with Durban Neo-Drum producer and singer Garde for the groovy Appreciation. In the process came Pu94 (Plutonium), produced by U.Beyond and Garde. The second official single off Elements, the single added to his musical repertoire as it was a completely different sound to his previous single. The dance song still followed the narrative that was heard on **It Happens and that narrative seems to be a staple theme throughout Elements.

On Elements Yanga themes his debut EP around the periodic table. Being a practicing medical doctor, Yanga has interacted with the periodic table more times than the most of us have. That gave way to Elements where he shares elements of his life on the project. Elements is centered around the concept of relationships along with their ups and downs. He opens up the door of vulnerability from the opening song, again he links up with Cape Town based producer and DJ, Gina Jeanz for Nd60 (Neodymium). On Nd60, Yanga reminisces about an old flame, the painful parts of their relationship, how it was a stressful effort for him and this is the first element of his life unpacked.

On S16 (Sulphur), he quickly changes the tempo and has Muzi on the boards for this one. Sulphur is a fun and groovy song, Yanga is writing from a point of uncertainty and feels he hasn’t been met halfway by the lady in question. “Love is a losing game for some, I can’t afford another let down”, he’s very vocal about his misses in love but he spins it off as a feel good song that you can almost overlook the initial message. Retaining assistance from Muzi, Os76 (Osmium) is where he switches up the production style and opts for a hypnotic high hat based approach. Yanga’s vocals lure you deeper and deeper into his space as he questions how she treats him. The confrontational song feels like the strongest parts of the extended play due to its completely different texture in comparison to the rest of the songs.

Yanga sticks to the winning formula of having Muzi on production but he also tags an unknown quantity in the form of Roshanda Lewis for Og118 (Oganesson). All three contributing artists are at their best for this one. The throwback funky R&B song boasts a high calibre of zest and feel that it has the potential to be an absolute smash hit.
To round up the last bits of Elements, Yanga is with Nirvana Nokwe for Pb82 (Lead). The song sounds like when Calvin Harris teams up with Pharrell to create a moment of fun and summer time music. Nirvana breathes her trip-pop aesthetic onto the song to create the last few moments of fun mixed with a touch of hard times. The EP incorporates different sounds and ushers the feel of different elements with every song. Yanga’s debut project enlists only four different producers with Muzi the executive producer. The seven track EP feels personal, intimate and honest. A journey field with various elements of Yanga YaYa.