Before now, the name of Nomcebo Zikode may not ring any bell even in some parts of South Africa. However, thanks to her involvement in Master KG’s hit single Jerusalema, she has become a household name globally. Her career has attracted the spotlight but her personal life, rise to fame and even love life have many things to tell about her.

For someone who has remained in the background of the South African music scene since the age of 10 and only got to become a big sensation after the age of 30, she has had many achievements and milestones along the way.

Quick Profile Of Nomcebo Zikode

• Full name: Nomcebo Nothule Nkwanyana
• Date of Birth: 28 October 1985
• Place of Birth: Mpumalanga, South Africa
• Age: 35 Years old
• Albums: Xola Moya Wam

Nomcebo Zikode Is Currently 35 Years Old

The South African singer was born and named Nomcebo Nothule Nkwanyana on 28 October 1985, in Hamnersdale, KwaZulu Natal, where she was also brought up. She had her early education there and went to Ukusa High School.

After her matriculation from high school, she attended Havatech College from where she obtained a degree in Information Technology. Somewhere in-between, she dropped out of school to give all her energy to her music career. However, in 2005, she decided to come back and complete her studies.

Having obtained her degree, the Jerusalema songstress decided to continue her music career which has now become her main source of fame and livelihood.

She Started Her Music Career At The Age of 18

The music career of Nomcebo Zikode started as far back as 2003 when she took part in a music talent hunt competition which she won. Even though the belief was that this would mark a serious start for her, things did not go as smoothly as she anticipated.

For fifteen years, she languished as a backup singer for different artists, including Zahara during the production of her hit debut studio album, Loliwe. She was later signed by Ganyani Entertainment for which she worked on some hits, including Jabulile and Emazulwini.

By 2018, there was already trouble in the deal as the strong vocalist was dragged to court over what the label termed booking fraud. The allegation against her was that she breached her contract by going behind the label to sign bookings and perform without their knowledge. According to court documents submitted before the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, the deal she signed made it clear that she could not perform any song she recorded with the stable or any act signed under the label without the permission of Ganyani.

Frederick Tshabalala, who is better known as Ganyani, asked the court to ban her from performing any of the songs recorded by the label, including NTO, Jabulile, and Emazulwini since she was no longer with the record label. He also asked that she be made to pay R75,000 which he claimed was the proceed she made from the performance of the tracks belonging to the record label.

In 2019 when she was 34 years old, Nomcebo Zikode signed a deal with Open Mic Productions. This became the deal that would shoot her to fame after spending more than 15 years in the background.

The next year, at the age of 35, she was offered an exclusive publishing deal by Sony/ATV. According to Sony/ATV President, Guy Henderson, the deal means that her works would be covered by the team.

Nomcebo Zikode Became A Global Sensation After The Age of 30

Although she has always had the talent, Nomcebo did not get the opportunity to clinch the limelight until she was in her 30s, 34 to be exact. Before then, she worked with some big names, including Ganyani with whom she vocalized the hit track, Emazulwini.

Her path to real fame and global acclamation came one evening with a call from Master KG who requested that she came to the studio and listened to a beat he had worked on. She asked if it could wait till the next day, but he insisted that she came immediately, which she did.

Nomcebo Zikode fell in love with the beat and after two to three times of listening to it, the first words of the song came to her. She asked for some time to work on it, but Master refused as he wanted the work on the track to be immediate. She chased him out of the studio and worked on the lyrics to the song, which was motivated by the experiences she has had. The track came at a time when she felt she was done with trying. Nomcebo wanted to call it quits on both her music and her life. Because of this, when the idea for the song came, she felt her purpose was not in this life but somewhere else.

They finished working on it by midnight and when she listened to the song the next day on her way to the gym, she revealed that she had goosebumps and knew immediately that the song was going to become a hit.

Jerusalema became some sort of a global national anthem, triggering the Jerusalema Challenge which has seen people across all walks of life dancing to the song in groups. It gave her the fame she had craved for all her life and more than that, it established her as one of the greatest vocalists South Africa has to offer.

On the hills of the successful single, she released a single Xola Moya Wam in which she featured Master KG. Within the first month of its release, the single had already attracted more than 5 million views on YouTube. This was followed by an album, Xola Moya Wam which was released in 2020. Needless to say, the album recorded significant success, shutting up doubters who had earlier claimed she was only a one-hit-wonder.

A Look At The Family She Was Born In

Among other things, the Jerusalema singer has maintained a very private life without letting fans into the type of family she came from. However, it is known that she shares a special bond with her mother whom she once ascribed as the reason she writes soulful songs. Before then, she has praised her mom on social media a number of times for the role she has played in her life.

The singer has not provided any information about her father. It has been revealed, however, that her parents struggled to provide for the family when she was much younger, and apart from leaving school because she wanted to pursue music, another reason she left was because of financial restraints as it was hard for her parents to keep up with the demands.

There has also been no information about all the siblings she has, but it is known that she was not raised as an only child. She once shared a photo of a lady on Instagram, describing her as her sister Thokzin. She also has a brother whose name is Philani and often shares pictures of herself and his wife together on social media. There have been speculations that she probably has a twin, but it has not been established.

The Music Star Got Married At An Early Age

Nomcebo Zikode did not leave out her personal life entirely as she continued to pursue her career as a musical artist. It has been gathered that she was able to get married quite early. Although the year and age in which she got married are not known, it is no secret that she has been married to Selwyn Fraser for many years now.

The couple is blessed with two beautiful daughters; Ziyanda and then Mnotho who is the younger. While her older daughter is a teenager, the younger one turned 6 in 2021.