Caught up right on time!

 

By Mrs M

Happy New Year. Yes, I know it’s February. But timing has never really been a rigid thing around here, has it? Consider this our 2026 debut column, sliding in a little late, but with intention. Right on time, actually.

And what better way to open the year than with one of my personal RnB favourites in the country, Mzwaa.

This Friday, he releases a new single titled ‘Caught Up’, and if you’ve been paying attention to the way love sounds lately messy, tender, unresolved you already know this one is about to sit heavy on the heart. 

Think Giveon, but local and definitely no cheating, I wouldn't know?? I digress, the track features Sarnilo and Amarii, two voices that know how to sit inside emotion without rushing it. 

February is doing what February does best,  ushering in the month of love. 

Caught Up feels like a soundtrack for those of us who are a little too deep, a little too honest, and very much involved. 

Is there someone you’re caught up on? Exactly. (I'm still caught on Mzwaa's Tell Me on his first EP) 

The record which we have had the privilege to hear a sneak peek of, is polished without losing its RnB ( why do I write R&B like that ?? really.. its giving ADHD) warmth. 

Production is handled by Lethumusa, with keys from Vuyo, guitar and bass by Dokotela Bass, and the final mix and master by Brainz from Antidote. 

Visually, the rollout is just as considered as photography was done by Msime Sukati, who always keeps it clean and tasteful. 

Graphics are from Grixxly, who has worked with Mzwaa on several projects, I assume. 

Everything about this release feels intentional. No noise, just love,  pace and calmness. 

The cover is also giving 90s warm vibes, say Jazzy but with like a nicely saturated grading (women in Photography!).

What makes Caught Up exciting FOR ME, isn’t just the single itself, but where it sits in Mzwaa’s wider musical journey. 

Before landing here, he’s been stretching, testing, borrowing, sound in ways that still feel true to him and maybe his vocals.  

Take Esteshini, for example. It’s a fast-paced Amapiano, energetic offering yet softened by Mzwaa’s honeyed delivery. 

His voice here doesn't fight the tempo,  using Siswati lyrics in between it glides over. Even when the beat is running, he remains calm, controlled, and unmistakably himself.

Which is why when I speak about his body of work. I always reference songs like ‘Tell Me’ and ‘Ready’. Voice, tempo, delivery, and sound.  He interchanges between these three effortlessly. 

Then there’s the return to his roots. His collaborations with Sarnilo bring back the Mzwaa many of us first connected with in 2019. 

The introverted storyteller, the vulnerable narrator, the artist who doesn’t oversing but still says everything.

These are songs that don’t beg for attention, but as soon as you press play you are paying attention.(Lutsandvo comes to mind) 

You listen once for the feeling, then again for the words, then again because you missed something the first two times.

That’s the thing about Mzwaa’s pen. There’s so much weight you often have to go back, rewind, sit with a line a little longer. 

Ingilozi is a perfect example especially with Originelle on the record. 

Two artists who understand restraint, making something deeply romantic without being loud about it. It’s grown- folk music. 

Mzwaa is a Manzini-born artist whose work has always been driven by a desire to heal, to offer hope. 

His sound blends R&B, soul, and hip-hop, but more than genres, it’s guided by feeling. 

He rose to national prominence after winning the 2018 MTN Bushfire Firefly Competition, a moment that changed the trajectory of his career almost overnight. 

That same year, he performed at the MTN Bushfire Festival, stepping onto one of the country’s biggest stages with the 

Soon after, he released 'I Got It', a smooth, soul-infused anthem that introduced many listeners to his world. 

It was fresh, understated, and different from what the local scene was saturated with at the time. 

You could tell immediately this was an artist moving at his own pace. 

In 2019, Mzwaa released his debut EP, ‘Right On Time’ a project that still stands as one of the most complete bodies of work in recent Eswatini R&B. 

The EP explores love, ambition, faith, and self-discovery through the eyes of a young Swati man trying to make sense of his world.

Sonically, it’s a careful balance of neo-soul textures, hip-hop rhythms, and R&B melodies. 

Vocally, Mzwaa moves with ease singing high notes effortlessly, then slipping into rap without losing the beat or the mood.

The project was entirely locally produced, led by Sakhile Mkhonta of Antidote Music and Vuma Hlophe of MotherLand X. 

Lutsandvo, one of the standout tracks, was produced by Alexandros Hatzinikolaou and Likhwa Maseko, with additional instrumentation by Sihlangu Sibiya, it  went on to win awards.  

Features included the ever-graceful Velemseni and rising rapper Grixxly, who even then showed signs of becoming one of Eswatini’s hip-hop standouts.

Right On Time till this day is a digital journal for Mzwaa.

He won awards for this project. In it he speaks about his father's passing, breakups, growing up, being ready for the world and healing. 

He actually uses ‘Ready’ to vent, confess and affirm himself. 

He talks about being heartbroken in high school, hanging with the wrong crew leading to a broken arm, he can still swing it though. 

He also shares a bit about his religion belief or background mid harmony he spits a verse about honouring your parents... Leviticus if you like. ( I actually need to go back to listening to this EP Dammn).

Through various interviews and live shows, we have come to know that Mzwaa had been involved in music long before releasing his first project, and the EP felt like an answer to years of quiet preparation. 

At the time, very few artists in Eswatini were approaching R&B and soul the way he was. 

The project arrived when listeners were ready for something softer, more intentional a breath of fresh air.

There’s also a spiritual layer to the title. ‘Right on time’ as a reflection of God’s timing. 

Setbacks, delays, moments that didn’t make sense in the moment but aligned perfectly in hindsight. That philosophy still echoes through his work today.

Mzwaa’s love for music runs deep, shaped early on by his parents. His father introduced him to jazz, and his mother filled the house with Motown-era R&B. 

You can hear both influences in his music, the structure, the soul, the warmth. 

He’s part of a new generation quietly shifting the local music inflexion, proving that softness can still be powerful, and vulnerability can still lead.

Which brings us back to Caught Up. This single doesn’t feel rushed. 

It feels lived in. It sounds like someone who knows exactly who he is, and no longer feels the need to explain it. 

While we ease into 2026, Mzwaa reminds us that good music doesn’t chase moments, personally before you jump into this new dig, please go listen to Right on Time.

 LIf you want to know who Mzwaa is run that EP up!

Now that you are caught up, go ahead and Connect with Mzwaa:  

 https://open.spotify.com/artist/0mebykC539Ik5ijTNBY1FJ?si=fq_iB8JASkiHB2WXgnZoBQ

https://youtube.com/@mzwaamusic?si=07m9auHB3xc9-GyA

All pictures and sounds sourced.