Having already made his mark on TV, Bongeziwe Mabandla is now releasing his début album.

The young Tsolo-born star is already famous for playing Mazizi on Tsha Tsha and Andy on Generations, but he’s cleary not satisfied with being considered an actor alone.

His first album, Umlilo, will be jamming up the airwaves soon, after he landed a record deal with Sony Music Africa.

Speaking to the Sowetan, Mabandla revealed that singing has always been a passion of his.

“From a very young age I loved to sing, but I had a strange voice so I didn’t always believe I had a future as a singer,” he said.

“When I arrived [in Johannesburg] to study acting at Afda [arts school], I was doing music as a sub major.

“My music teacher called me aside, and said ‘I saw you play the last time and I wasn’t sure but now I am, there is something special about you’. That was all I needed to hear. I quit acting as a major. But it would be years later [that] I finally got a record deal.”

Mabandla likes to describe his music as ”urban African traditional folk music”, with elements of hip-hop and soul thrown into the mix.

Having already released a a demo tape entitled Umlilo, he decided that he’d keep the name for his first album. Asked about the story behind the name, Mabandla explained that it referred to the concept of ”tears that propel you forward”.

“The album is about my life and the things I struggle with,” Mabandla explained.

“So, the topics vary from a song about my mother to a song about the inequality in our communities. I wrote a lot about my inferiority complex and my need to feel valued.”

The album will be in music stores from next Monday.

Let us know what you think of it.