MBABANE – Local Soul musician Velemseni is set to headline an intimate live performance at the Mbabane Theatre Club tomorrow, where she will be accompanied by a full live band.
Speaking ahead of the show, Velemseni said the upcoming showcase will offer audiences a blend of both her older material and unreleased tracks.
“For this event I will be showcasing my music, looking back at my catalogue, the songs that did not get the spotlight they deserved, I will also showcase my new music,” she said. According to Velemseni, the intimate setting is designed to foster a closer connection with her audience, while allowing her to gauge what her fans enjoy most.
She elaborated that, to her, the event forms part of an initiative by the Chief Executive Officer of the Municipal Council of Mbabane, Gciniwe Fakudze, to make the capital city come alive. She noted that local artists deeply appreciate the opportunity to utilise performing spaces within the city.
The showcase takes place under the Culture Spaces Context Programme, which is supported by the Austrian Embassy, Pretoria. As part of the same programme, Mbabane Theatre Club has hosted several shows including Dzelisile Mdluli’s ‘Women Why Whine’ and Sibonisiwe Dlamini’s ‘Finding My Voice’.
Born Velemseni Mdzimandze and widely regarded as Eswatini’s Queen of Soul, the guitarist and vocalist has built a career rooted in Southern African aesthetics and storytelling.
Before establishing herself as a solo Soul artist, Velemseni was part of the poetry collective Rooted Soulz and collaborated with local HipHop artists and producers such as Mozaik. She also gained stage experience as a supporting vocalist for prominent Eswatini acts including Bholoja, Siyinqaba and Nomalungelo Dladla. She has performed across major local, regional and international stages including Standard Bank Joy of Jazz in South Africa, MoaFest in Mozambique and the MTN Bushfire Festival and she continues to perform at formal gatherings as a guest artist.
She released her debut album, ‘We are People’, in 2014, earning airplay on major local radio stations. Over the years, she has continued to expand her discography with singles such as ‘Shisa’, ‘Barely’, ‘Musa’ and her 2026 release, ‘Wakhetsa’.
