As an admirer of local music and new music in particular, I recall a Facebook post from a friend asking me to have a listen to a certain new artist that she’s been listening to. I think I must have triggered that thought from the friend from the usual posts I share on Facebook in celebrating or honoring some artist or new local music that I have just bought.

The post read:

“Please have a listen to Maleh – Stepchild.”

My initial reaction to that was “what kind of album name is that? – sounds interesting. Is she a stepchild? And most importantly, who is she?”

Then this one day, while browsing at a music retailer, I saw the album and thought right there and then to give it a shot.

I am glad I did.

Sometimes, all that a seemingly new artist needs from the buyer is to be given just one shot. That’s all.

From that time onwards, I then started finding out more about this latest gem of mine I had the pleasure of indulging into in the privacy of my own vehicle and space. That’s often how I prefer to explore new music, at my pace, in my own quiet space without any distraction while going on about doing life. If I hear that an album is a hit, it’s guaranteed to last more than a week occupying that coveted spot inside my CD player. And normal radio shows sort-of take a back seat then, talk radio, my other addiction, included in that mix.

Thankfully, my CD player is not a multi-disc player where more than one CD is shuffled while listening to music during the ride. This awesome feature, I feel, is a positive because it provides that one artist a chance to be thoroughly analyzed while it occupies that stage in one’s mobile space.

Back to the star being celebrated here.

Malehloka ‘Maleh’ Hlalele was born in Maseru, Lesotho and ‘Stepchild‘ was her debut album. The album was released in 2011 and it earned her a number of nominations including South African Music Awards (SAMAs) for Best Album of the year and Best female artist of the year. The most popular song from the album, ‘Chimsoro‘ a name she and her friends loosely coined a person who is adored and loved dearly by someone, is one that made a number of people take immediate notice of her. A song that many people still remember her easily by even to this day.

This was after she had done vocals for a number of popular house tracks including the famous ‘Falling‘ with popular house and dance master Dj Kent. It was pleasant to hear her deliver an a capella version of this song on her debut album. Stepchild is a phenomenal album from the quality of her writing to her bands, her signature Afro-Poetic sound and soul, it’s nearly impossible to fault it in any way. The album opens up with ‘Eduze Kwami’ (close to me) instantly establishing her as a multi-lingual artist who can easily cater for a variety of audiences. The title track ‘Stepchild‘ blew my mind away. I had initially thought that the song will talk about some family relations or about some kind of sibling connotations but no, in the song, she was personifying a ‘child stepping..’ (embarking inter alia) into the wilderness of life and its many experiences and mysteries that await.

That was a clever way of arranging a song and playing around with words and their meaning I must say. Other notable songs in the album include the upbeat ‘Morning rise’, folklore classic ‘Tselane‘ for which she featuress rapper Kommando Obbz, ‘Till we meet again‘ & the one song that really catapulted her into my heart – the sincere, emotional and heart warming ‘Tsela ts’ oeou’ (safe journey, fare well) which speaks of a person embarking on a long journey away from a place of their upbringing and birth. The person is being wished well on it, reminded of how they must not forget where they come from – their roots. The album did wonders for establishing her firmly onto the genre, to the listener and music industry, her soulful, tender vocals mixed with poetic lyrics blended flawlessly to signal the beginning of what promises to be a prosperous career for Maleh. She certainly proved what she was made and capable of.

Then entered her second body of work, ‘You make my heart go’ which was released in 2014.

The title track, of the same name, really set the scene beautifully for this album which saw her exploring versatility while staying true to her soulful and root. It boasts a signature Caribbean sound and feel to it, perfectly suited for a party setting and mood.

The song ‘Maseru‘ (which is the capital city of Lesotho) takes the listener back to her native land. In this song she passes her gratitude to King Moshoeshoe for building the people of Lesotho a beautiful nation. The song is unique in that it’s the first of its kind, well, that I know of, which puts the Basotho on the spotlight. Other highlights in the album apart from this one include ‘Ke Mo Afrika’ (I am an African) a soulful rendition of her pride to be a daughter of the African soil and a human being boasting with confidence to be a Sesotho speaker, encouraging others to also embrace speaking in their mother tongues, no matter how people may view that choice, ‘Omunye‘ (no other person) a Zulu up-tempo love song with that showcases her diversity in language usage and ‘Little Nubian‘, a soulful, descriptive and poetic rendition of a beautiful child.

This album earned her two Metro FM nominations in 2016 for Best Female artist and Best R ‘n B song for the song ‘Feels so good’.

Then in 2017, she released her third full studio album titled’ Golden Rain’.

This was a highly anticipated album, personally from the high standards she set for herself on her two previous albums. I battled to get myself a physical copy of the album as it is still not available at local music outlets but is available for download online. It consists of 10 tracks which classify this offering as Afro-urban and soulful. Notable tracks from the album include the melodic title track ‘Golden rain’, the reggae-sound inspired ‘Roll again’ and her signature romantic and love-inspired soulful ‘Time again’ which served as the album’s opening track. She kept her signature poetic style of vocal delivery in the album and her rhythmic and up-tempo feel as evident in the thrilling and funky  ‘Zaka’ (money), ‘Sounds of your heart‘ and ‘Waka Waka’.

Her work overall is evident of her hard work, passion, dedication and consistency to her craft. Her music, through its poetic and rhythmic elements, cuts across all barriers, tribes, emotions, Lesotho and South Africa. I always describe her work as unique in a sense that, in most of her songs, her rhythmic vocals make her sound as if she is ahead of the song (literally-speaking) and the bands work consistently to ‘catch up with her’ so to speak. A unique skill that only she boasts, making her instantly stand out from the rest. She is one humble artist who takes her work as seriously as she takes her followers. Maleh is certainly ready to take-on other parts of the African continent and the international stage through her music. An underrated artist who is worthy of all the praise, accolades and being celebrated. I look forward to her future work, performances and products that will further cement her command and reach on the music industry while continuing to win more hearts and souls  as her following grows.