Ternielle Nelson's Talents Unearthed

Written by Sam Mathe
Tuesday, 05 July 2011 14:02

Every year the recording industry witnesses new and fresh musical output from young artists of exceptional talent. The media heap lavish praise on them; they are heralded as the new Brenda Fassies and Miriam Makebas. Unfortunately, for a number of factors – notably stiff competition and inadequate marketing – this is tough terrain for most of these newcomers.

Most of them fade into obscurity as soon as they have attained their 15 minutes of fame. But the country is blessed with such an abundance of talent that most of them eventually find their long-awaited break. Lira’s career is a classic example; starting out in a kwaito stable with little prospects for success, she eventually blossomed into a top-selling, multi-award-winning and highly sought-after live performing artist.
After carefully listening to Durban-born Ternielle Nelson’s debut album, Unearthed, I’m convinced that her executive producer, Selaelo Selota, has unearthed a musical gem that won’t fade. After all, the precocious 22-year-old’s crisp, evocative voice and song-writing abilities are truly exceptional.

Melodic and lyrical, every song in this album is an exquisite work of art that tells the story of her journey in appropriate emotions – most significantly the loss of her beloved mother, the birth of her child and her determination to heal and make it in a tough industry. In addition, her sincerity and sensitivity to her craft lend an astonishing freshness of sound that marks her as a special talent.

Hers is a singular voice that is not easy to pigeonhole into musical genres.

“Singers who come from my cultural background are traditionally steered into the kind of sexy R&B sound that’s so much around at the moment,” she says, “but I made a conscious decision to take another route.”
That route certainly includes elements of folk and Afro-jazz as can be expected from an album produced by Selaelo Selota, whom she credits for his musical mentorship.

“He helped shape the songs, and his musical guidance was really important. Selaelo also really brought to life what I was trying to convey with the feeling of each song, 100 percent.”

Malatji’s elegant piano playing, particularly in gems such as No Condition (track eight), also highlights this jazziness in Nelson’s music. Her wide musical vocabulary and sensibility – primarily stimulated by her music studies at the Central Johannesburg College, which introduced her to diverse cultural and artistic influences – and her fierce determination not to take the R&B route as was expected of a young artist who grew up in Newlands East, Durban, where the genre is a staple diet of many aspiring musicians, partly explain Unearthed’s uniqueness.

Ternielle acknowledges her ancestral roots in the creation of this fine album. The catchy ditty, Da N Da De (track five) is a perfect example of a folk song inspired by her “tribal” roots.