Zinia gets lost in 'Devotion and Other Mistakes'

Eswatini singer-songwriter Zinia is getting ready to let listeners into a more personal corner of her musical world with her upcoming EP, Devotion and Other Mistakes, due for release on October 23, 2026.

The project arrives as the singer continues to explore her own original music, bringing together the emotional messiness of love, the sting of heartbreak, and the possibility of healing. It is a collection that, judging by its title and the way she has introduced it, leaves room for devotion and regret to exist in the same breath.

Zinia, whose real name is Mbali Gamedze, announced the upcoming release on social media, sharing her excitement about finally being able to put the project out into the world. Describing the project, she said it holds a lot of feelings and stories, touching on love, heartbreak, and a little bit of healing. She also revealed that she had poured a significant part of herself into the music and was excited for listeners to hear it.

For an artist whose strength lies in her ability to move between musical styles, the EP offers an opportunity to bring a collection of songs together around a shared emotional thread. The full tracklist and production details have not yet been announced, leaving listeners to discover the individual stories when the project arrives.

Devotion and Other Mistakes is a title that feels comfortable with contradiction. Devotion can be beautiful, consuming, hopeful or misplaced, while the mistakes that come with loving someone can become lessons that take time to understand. Together, the words suggest a project interested in the complicated parts of being human rather than a neat, uncomplicated version of romance.

Zinia has not yet shared the stories behind the EP’s individual tracks, so the project's full picture remains under wraps. However, her announcement points to music shaped by experiences listeners may recognise in their own lives: giving someone your heart, losing your way, trying to make sense of what happened, and finding a way to move forward.

The appeal of that territory is its familiarity. Love songs can celebrate the rush of falling for someone, but they can also sit with disappointment, uncertainty, and the quiet work of putting yourself back together. With this EP, Zinia appears ready to explore more than one side of that experience.

The EP follows the release of Zinia’s single Sidliso earlier in 2026, adding another chapter to a period in which she has continued putting her own music forward. The single sits within a catalogue that reflects her movement across different sounds and her growing focus on original releases.

Her musical identity draws from R&B, neo-soul and jazz, with Afro-inspired sounds and amapiano also forming part of her wider musical world. Rather than staying within one genre, Zinia has built a reputation around the flexibility of her voice and her ability to adapt it to different arrangements.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Obscura (@obscuracreativeagency)

She first gained wider attention through MTN Spotlight, a platform that introduced audiences to her vocal ability. Since then, she has performed at major events including the Standard Bank Luju Festival, MTN Bushfire and the MTN PLE Awards, building experience across different stages and audiences.

Her collaborations have also helped expand her reach. Love Back, her collaboration with Phila Koshin, received radio and television play and drew attention online, bringing her voice to listeners beyond her solo performances.

In 2025, Zinia was featured in the Music Library Concerts series, an initiative supporting Eswatini musicians through recorded live performances and digital exposure. The showcase gave audiences another opportunity to hear her work in an intimate setting, with R&B, neo-soul and jazz among the sounds associated with her performance.

Experimentation has been part of Zinia’s development. In an earlier collaboration with South African producer Gumz and Phila Koshin on an Afro-house track, she spoke about exploring vocal techniques she had not used before, including yodelling. The experience demonstrated her willingness to stretch beyond familiar territory and treat her voice as an instrument that can take different shapes depending on the music.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Obscura (@obscuracreativeagency)

That openness to different sounds gives context to the arrival of Devotion and Other Mistakes. While the EP’s production and musical direction have not yet been fully revealed, the themes she has shared provide a clear emotional starting point. The project will also allow listeners to hear how she brings those themes together across a collection rather than through individual singles alone.

For Zinia, the release is another step in a career that has moved through live performance, collaborations and original music. Each has offered a different way to reach audiences, from the immediacy of a live stage to the lasting connection that can develop around a recorded song.

With Sidliso already part of her 2026 releases, the upcoming EP gives listeners another reason to follow where her music is heading. The title promises no perfect answers about love or the choices people make in its name. Instead, it opens the door to a collection built around feelings, stories and the lessons that can follow.

Devotion and Other Mistakes is scheduled for release on October 23, 2026. Until Zinia shares more details about the tracklist and the people involved in bringing it to life, listeners have the title, the release date and her own description of a project into which she has invested so much of herself.