Siselabonga’s latest single Halo is less a track than a mirror held up to past and future selves, a raw Afro Soul Tronic cut that threads ancestral groove through synth-driven shadows.
Built on duality — roots vs. machines, clarity vs. chaos, intimacy vs. urgency — Halo isn’t about comfort. It’s about rupture, reflection, and the uneasy truths that surface when you stop running from yourself. With Halo’s Glitter (album, Oct 3) looming, the duo are dropping singles like fragments of a bigger storm — snapshots that might be warnings, depending on how you hear them.
We caught up with Nongoma Ndlovu and Fabio Meier to talk self-dialogues, Kidjo interpolations, and the art of finding divinity in tension.
Halo feels like a soul-to-soul confrontation. What came first—the sound or the self-dialogue?
Nongoma Ndlovu: The sound definitely came first as the song had been simmering since a few years back, waiting for the right moment for the dialogue to resonate.
You’ve called it Afro Soul Tronic. What makes this track more than just genre fusion—and what’s the soul underneath the tech?
Nongoma Ndlovu: I think the free spirited incorporation of the synths is what we’ve developed into our signature element fusing it with the soul foundation of the vocals (which served as my primary influence, singing wise.)
Halo sounds intimate but urgent, like something you had to release. What were you trying to resolve—or reveal?
Nongoma Ndlovu: As a self proclaimed “recovering daddy’s girl” I’d say the “urgency” came as part of a healing process I’ve been undergoing in my 3rd decade here on earth…This chapter is coming with a lot of self reflection, future, past and present – especially concerning my relationship with my father and how it influenced my romantic relationships.
In Halo, Nongoma sings between past and future selves. Which one’s louder right now?
Nongoma Ndlovu: Great question, I think the past has a tendency to feel stronger based also on one’s ability to be honest with oneself and for me, I feel the future feels louder as I am also learning to be present and adaptable to it.
Agolo takes on an Angélique Kidjo classic and transforms it into a dark, psychedelic, and percussive rendition. What made you brave enough to touch a legend’s legacy? Nongoma Ndlovu: There is a story behind the song originally. I sang it at a mini play back show as a child (my dad suggested it!) and I ended up winning the competition and taking my family to Disneyland in Paris. I fell in love with her music thereafterand have always wanted to cover or rather interpolate one of her songs (respectfully of course) adding a unique touch in a positive, challenging yet honourable manner. And this song spoke to me the most as it’s also her most famous song.
How did you balance respect for Kidjo’s original with your own need to distort, twist, and reimagine it?
Nongoma Ndlovu: I wanted to give it a different edge intertwined with different elements where genres are concerned – it’s a very powerful song and needed a powerful interpolative twist again respectfully.
Halo’s Glitter is coming in October. Are these singles snapshots—or are they warnings of what’s about to hit?
Nongoma Ndlovu: I’d say they are a bit of both cause only time will truly tell and so will the audience. We as the artist don’t have control on how the audience perceives the music.
Fabio Meier: I would say a bit of both too. On their own, snapshots – together they are a gentle preview of the album’s emotional landscape and sound aesthetic without giving it all away.
There’s tension in your sound—between roots and synths, clarity and chaos. Where does that duality come from, and why lean into it?
Nongoma Ndlovu: As someone that grew up between 2 continents and 3 countries, tension has been something I’ve been accustomed to as the several experiences of ‘culture shock’ have also cemented my ever growing hunger for creating new sounds.
Fabio Meier: Sometimes it’s crystal clear, sometimes it’s just a feeling. But I believe the divine hides in duality – in tension and release, in ambivalence.
You’ve got three singles dropping before the album. What’s the arc between them—build-up, breakdown, or something weirder?
Fabio Meier: We didn’t really have a proper concept for the release order — it was more an emotional vision. We love these three songs and feel they really represent who we are. Each one shows a different side of our sound. The only clear timing was for September (Rainy Daze) dropping on the 12th of September — it just had to come out in September to match the song’s atmosphere.
If Halo’s Glitter is the whole picture, what’s the emotional headline you want people to feel when they hit play?
Fabio Meier: Connection — to the music, to yourself, to the moment, to the people and to the divine.
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