Jabulile Majola is an Afro-folk singer-songwriter whose music grows out of a life shaped by faith, identity and storytelling. Born Jabulani Majola in Pietermaritzburg and adopted into a pastor's family in rural Greytown, KwaZulu Natal at the age of two, he grew up alongside 26 siblings. His foundations in the church led him to discover a passion for singing early on, finding his first musical grounding in hymns and community song.
Raised bi-lingually in English and isiZulu, his fascination with language evolved into poetry and rap, with songs recorded in rural studios in Greytown. Following high school, he moved to Cape Town and began exploring folk music, immersing himself in the works of Bon Iver, Paul Simon, Joseph Shabalala and Leonard Cohen. Inspired by their storytelling, he directed his own talent with the pen towards a deeply personal project named after his mother, Jabulile Majola, the only piece of her identity he ever knew.
Through his writing, Jabulile explores his complex identity with tremendous vulnerability, carried by a voice that holds remarkable emotional depth. Speaking about his debut E P Isitifiketi, he explains, " I write music telling stories of how it was growing up, and the different things that shaped the way in which I think and imagine." His growing impact saw him named Apple Music's Up Next artist in South Africa, where he shared that he is "proud of this platform for championing African storyteling, voices that are full of life and deserve to be heard by the world."
His work has gained endorsements from artists including Samthing Soweto, Sun-El Musician, Bongeziwe Mabandla, Jeremy Loops and Låpsley, while critics have described his music as "a whisper floating above an acoustic guitar; waves lapping at the shore beneath it."
Through his performances and recordings, Jabulle Majola continues to establish himself as one of South Africa's most compelling emerging storytellers.