Biography

Nakhane Mahlakahlaka (born Nakhane Lubabalo Mavuso, 3 February 1988) is a South African singer, songwriter, actor, and novelist. They are formerly known under the stage name Nakhane Touré. Having grown up among a Christian community in Port Elizabeth, at 15 they moved to Johannesburg, leaving the church in 2013 and publicly celebrating their queerness with their debut album Brave Confusion. They found both controversy and critical acclaim with their starring role in John Trengove's 2017 feature film Inxeba (The Wound), and relocated to London to record and release 2018's heavily autobiographical album You Will Not Die. Their work has been championed by Elton John, who interviewed Nakhane on his Beats 1 radio show, and Madonna, who cited them as one of her two favourite artists and said their music influenced her 2019 album Madame X.Nakhane is non-binary with they/them pronouns.