Dominated by melancholy and diving into the subject of heartbreak, Sylent Nqo's latest release, with the talented Bulawayo rnb virtuoso Kyla Blac, is an all too relatable tale of love and regret.
"Good One" is a duet that seamlessly merges traditional Zimbabwean rhythms with contemporary rnb. Something much easier said than done, but the vocal talents in collaboration make it seem easy. The guitar sangoma, puts on a performance with both musical instrument and vocals.
While the poignant track has the sentiment of "good riddance," it is equally sad at parting ways. Introduced by the strum of guitar strings, the song's first words are "How many soulmates, must I breakup with before I find the one? Seems like forever, means till December then we run..." The question sets the tone for the track, and what comes afterwards is a reflection on the lessons we get from love.
"Good One" comes as a single from Sylent Nqo's forthcoming EP, Sylent Love, which is set to drop later this year. If the artist's 2024 releases are anything to go by then we're in for something special. "Good One" was produced by 3DKeys, and it was released with visuals directed by Imanii.
Sylent Nqo has been sharing his gift of music across the globe since he was a teenager. He's been to countries such as Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, Norway, Sweden, Egypt, Italy, Australia and the USA among others. He has collaborated and shared the stage with some of Africa's most prominent virtuosos such as The Late, Dr Oliver Mtukudzi, The Late Hugh Masekela, Mr Eazi, Dotman, Jah Cure, Davido, Jah Prayzah and Ammara Brown amongst others.
The singer and guitarist made history in 2016 by becoming the first Zimbabwean to win the Senior Solo Instrumental Grand Champion award at the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) in Hollywood, USA. He followed this up 4 years later with winning the Best Alternative Artist Award at the Zimbabwe Music Awards (ZIMA).
You can checkout the performance video for "Good One" below: