Bonny M | July 15, 2025
There’s a quiet strength that radiates from artists who create from an honest place, and Nonto is one of them. With a sound that hums somewhere between Alternative R&B and neo-soul, her music is less about performance and more about presence. She invites listeners into a space that’s raw, textured, and deeply reflective a space where the heart breathes, feels, and heals.
Raised in a home where music wasn’t just played, it lived, Nonto grew up with a father immersed in jazz, brothers who filled the air with booming beats, and a mother who hummed softly through Sunday mornings. That soundscape became her sanctuary, a place where melody and emotion intertwined. “Music was a safe space,” she shares. “It was how I processed life before I even had the words to explain it.” Her path to songwriting began organically. It wasn’t marked by grandeur or industry mentorship, it started with a pull, a quiet knowing. “I remember writing my first full song,” she reflects. “It came so easy to me. I felt free.” That freedom emotional, spiritual, and creative continues to guide her artistic evolution.
Nonto’s music is rooted in lived experience. It’s an unfiltered reflection of her emotional journey, her questions about connection, and her observations of life in all its tenderness and complexity. Even when her lyrics lean into the abstract, there’s always a truth tethering them. Her recent single Akekho is no exception. Meaning “there’s no one” in isiZulu, the track is a meditative dive into love and vulnerability. “It’s soft, introspective, and raw,” she says. “It creates space for the heart to breathe and honour intimacy.”
Her sound leans into minimalism, slow-burning, moody, and never rushed. She doesn’t chase trends. Instead, her music evolves with her. It’s this restraint, this intention, that allows her work to resonate deeply. “Alternative R&B and neo-soul with an introspective edge,” she explains. “It’s soulful, but not in the traditional sense. It’s more about mood and texture.”
For Nonto, music is more than expression, it’s release. “Sometimes it’s a tension I need to name. Other times, it’s a feeling I need to honour.” Her vulnerability is her strength, and it’s woven into every lyric, note, and pause. Of course, the journey hasn’t always been smooth. Like many artists, she’s grappled with self-doubt, with questions about whether her voice, her perspective, or her sound was enough. The turning point came when she chose to trust herself. “Real growth came when I stopped trying to fit in and started honouring my own creative instincts.”
That’s the message she carries with her and the legacy she hopes to leave behind. “That softness is power. That your voice, however subtle or different, has value. I want people to feel seen. I want them to feel free.” With each slow-burning ballad and introspective verse, Nonto reminds us that art doesn’t need to shout to be heard. Sometimes, it’s in the quietest moments that the loudest truths are felt.
Anything you’re currently working on which you would love for our readers to know about?
I’m working on more visuals for my music, building out the world around each song. I’m also continuing to grow Stickers, my micro-concert platform, and Hey Lookout, an online show celebrating African creativity. It’s all interconnected.
Where can people listen to your music, and how can they connect with you online?
You can find my music on all major streaming platforms. I’m also on Instagram @nonto_music and TikTok @nonto_za and you can stay updated via my Linktree https://linktr.ee/nontomusic or my website www.nontomusic.com