Nkuley Masemola is a multifaceted muse who is known for being an influencer, DJ, aspiring visual artist, and an ethereal icon. Masemola’s dominance within the creative space is a testament to their innate fascination with the power of visuals— “I started creating visuals from a very young age. A typical selfie to me was such an interesting thing; from editing it, and altering who I was to altering reality, that was always a fascinating thing to me. I went from editing selfies for Facebook to editing self-portraits. It’s more of a self muse thing, where I’ve found that visuals can tell you more about a person…because as the saying goes… a picture can tell a thousand words.”
If you look through Nkuley’s self-portraits, you will see a confident character whose story tells of a fearless and celebrated beauty. So, you can imagine my surprise when they responded to a “How are you so confident?” query with “It’s all acting.” Nkuley laughed at my shock and responded, “The reason I say it’s all acting is because my confidence is a reaction. I’m only as confident as you’re going to make me.” I had to pause and take that in — when Nkuley continued, “Every interaction is a performance. If you’re shy around me, I’m going to be shy around you too. If you’re super chill, I’ll match your vibe. Everything is a performance and if I react with fear, then you have control over me. I choose to react with confidence.”
Paper Towns & Identity
Masemola shared that when people ask where they are from, they usually respond with “I was born in Pretoria” because their upbringing was nomadic and they have lived in many places, including; Witbank, Bronkhorstspruit, Zithobeni to Kalfontein, KwaNdebele. I joked about them being a true South African and they laughingly agreed with an “I’ve been saying that!” When Nkuley shared their experiences of being in ‘paper towns’, I wondered how they navigated their self-expression in spaces that might not be open to non-binary ideals. However, I found relief when they noted, “I don’t have a story where I’ve been bullied and I am grateful for that. I lived in my head a lot and I dreamed of moving to Johannesburg at the age of 5. I wanted to be a star because I had a mirror and the internet, I knew there was more out there and I’ve always known that “I am more than this.” I always had a bigger picture in my head, I knew I was going to leave these towns.”
The vision of a 5-year-old Nkuley, fully aware that their small-town life was merely a temporary stop, is not only refreshing but a testament to their self-belief. Masemola credits this self-belief to their mother who conditioned them to feel that they were always the best. This made me reflect on bell hooks’ quote on how self-love flourishes in a loving environment, this is surely the case for Masemola.
“When we can see ourselves as we truly are and accept ourselves, we build the necessary foundation for self-love…whether we learn how to love ourselves and others will depend on the presence of a loving environment. Self-love cannot flourish in isolation.”
– bell hooks
Going Global?
Nkuley has amassed a remarkable collection of achievements at a young age, collaborating with renowned brands such as Diesel, Maybelline, Dark and Lovely, and Adidas. They’ve also collaborated with legendary creatives like Rich Mnisi, Thebe Magugu, and Nao Serati. With their name and brand already firmly established within the country, I couldn’t help but wonder if Nkuley has aspirations to share their creative talents with a global audience. They shared, “I love South Africa. I’m very sentimental and I was taught the idea of home from a very young age. I’ll always come back home but the country has become small for me. I’m being suffocated by ideals that aren’t mine. When lockdown hit we had to sit with ourselves. And when shit is going south you always question who you are. And there’s nothing that triggers a black child more than being broke — it’s a feeling that disables your creativity, and your mind and you just go back to the same dark place that you were in, in the hood. Loadshedding too… can cause depression. After reflecting on who I am and what I want, I realised that I’m suffocated by the city and by some of the issues that we have to deal with. I also don’t want to get comfortable because you guys know my name. I want another challenge.”
This part of the conversation made me feel like I was getting a glimpse into the nature of Nkuley’s soul. They have a keen sense of awareness of what people are going through in this country and how they are expected to be or should I say, perform. And how their relationship with the world, specifically South Africa, is not serving their highest purpose at this stage of their journey. This was further reiterated by how they no longer feel comfortable modelling in South Africa, “Models are mannequins here, they are not given a name. You’re not given a name, you’re just a face. When I was trying to find the core of who I am, I didn’t see modelling for me. It’s not inspiring anymore.” Nkuley’s reflections are true, think of the faces you see on a clothing brand or grocery chain, do you know their names? If they aren’t close to you, you probably don’t. Most of us know Gisele Bündchen, Indya Moore or Naomi Campbell, but people outside of the South African fashion world don’t know Rosette Ncwana, Roxy Ingram or Carmen Solomons. If or when Nkuley goes global, they have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential, returning home to tell a story of not just a gorgeous face, but a distinguished, internationally-recognised name.
Music
Nkuley the DJ was inspired by FAKA. Fela Gucci and Desire Marea, the Johannesburg-based duo behind FAKA, have made significant contributions towards art, photography, and performance. However, it is through their music that they have gained the most recognition. Their distinctive style combines elements of traditional South African Zulu music with cutting-edge electronic beats. Beyond their music, they use their platform to uplift the voices of South Africa’s LGBTQ+ community. We also have them to thank for Nkuley becoming a DJ because “FAKA got me into DJ’ing, they explored every talent I have and are a huge part of who I am today because they enabled every dream that I had.” FAKA told Nkuley all they needed to do was listen to the beat and that came as easy as breathing for Masemola because they grew up next door to a tavern. Sharing that “sleeping next to music is my entire life. The radio at home was always on unless we had no electricity. Music has always been a big part of my life.” Visuals have always interested Nkuley for their unparalleled ability to capture one’s depth, and Nkuley feels that music has the same effect. “I always wanted to tell stories with pictures and then I realised that music does the same thing. But it goes even further because music is also like mind control.”
If you’ve always wondered who is controlling Nkuley’s mind when it comes to music, it’s Rihanna and SZA. Those are their forever artists and at the moment their top songs are:
A message to haters, lovers, supporters and everyone else in between
“Keep Watching.”
— Nkuley Masemola
Check out Greenway Rd by Vesper ft. Nkuley here.
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