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Nina Mkhize

She grew up in the Southern township of Umlazi in Durban. She was introduced to music by her mother who sang jazz, marabi, mbube and revolutionary songs around the house while growing up. Noticing her reaction and interest to her singing, her mother urged her to perform for family, friends and relatives at various gatherings.

It is however when she started high school that she found courage to explore the art of performance as a full time career thus leading her to form a group SWV with friends imitating the American girl group of the same name. Together they sang music that stemmed from but was not limited to rnb, gospel and African music.

Throughout her high school years, she spent her Saturdays at the UDW Music Project, an initiative by the Volkswagen Motor Company where she received formal instruction in music theory, aural perception, appreciation and performance.

Affirmed by this experience, she further went on to pursue music studies at Natal Tech after high school, where she read for a National Diploma in Light Music.

Her time at tech proved worthwhile and promised a future jazz maestro such that, in the year 2000 as a student she was invited to do leading and backing vocals for the internationally acclaimed ‘Shuttle Band’ which was commissioned by the Nordic Council of Ministers and saw a collaboration between South African and Scandinavian musicians namely Ray Phiri, Gito Baloi, Concord Nkabinde (SA) and Stien Casternsen, Bendik Hofseth, Ricard Nettermalm (Scandinavia).

The year further saw her holding workshops with acclaimed pianist Bheki Mseleku which led her to work with Prince Kupi’s band ‘Bageshane’ and ‘Sagiya’ a youth band based in the city of Durban. She further explored work with band ‘The Stand’ which played a fusion of jazz and gospel which went on to tour in Port Elizabeth.

In 2001, a young Nina performed in East London with jazz trumpeter Feya Faku and further went on to work with acclaimed Zulu singer Busi Mhlongo on a music production hosted by the Playhouse Company in Durban, ‘It’s Cooking Under the Melting Pot’ under the direction of Susan Barry. Her rich and soulful voice went on to the unsuspecting studios of the world where she started to session which led to collaborations with an array of artists such as Ian Henderson on his album ‘Free Falling’ , guitarist Nibs Van der Spuy’s ‘Flower In The Rain’ record and also as backing vocalist on Busi Mhlongo’s ‘Indiza’, an album by Meltz 2000 produced by Bryce Wassy.

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'One of the greatest musical delights this year was hearing for the first time the voice of Nina Mkhize, a third-year music student at Natal Technikon. Each year at the Old Mutual Jazz Encounters the auditions are recorded for sampling purposes and bundled together by region for the ears of the judges, journalists and corporate heads. Every year there’s a bunch of thrilling surprises. Last year it was saxophonist and composer Ivan Mazuze. This year it was Mkhize, growling with the attitude of Busi Mhlongo and the breathy prowess of Miriam Makeba. She also writes beautiful songs.' - Ian Harris - The Mail & Guardian, South Africa

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