Dr. Nkululeko Zungu on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Dr. Nkululeko Zungu. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Nkululeko , we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I am currently embarking on a journey of healing, centered around a brand identity I am building: “Black child…heal.” This mantra reflects my desire to break generational patterns that have negatively affected Black people–more specifically, those that have shaped me as a Black child. In this process, I allow myself to feel every emotion necessary: hurt, anger, confusion, and ultimately, clarity. My work is being channeled through my writing, and every song I release emerges from moments in this journey. Healing publicly is vulnerable, but it is also essential to show fellow Black children that it is okay to hurt, and okay to express that hurt. You will heal. The first single is the upcoming project is “Kutheni” translated from isiXhosa to English as “Why” because that is where the questioning began… with a “Why are you playing us like this?” expressed in the IsiXhosa lyric: “Kutheni usidlala kanjena?”

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
“I’m a Black child healing — and doing so through music.” That’s how I would describe this new chapter: one rooted in truth, pain, and the radical act of vulnerability. As a Black composer from South Africa, my writing draws directly from my lived experiences, as explored in my recent dissertation at the University of Georgia, Reimagining the Clicks from isiZulu and isiXhosa Using Electroacoustic Tools, which examines South African musical landscapes. My upcoming EP is the sound of healing in motion, born from the work of confronting absence, loss, and the quiet echoes left by fatherhood — and the lack thereof. Merging R&B, pop, and African sonic textures, my music exists in the space between reflection and release — where rhythm meets reckoning, and emotion becomes sound. This new era is not just about making music; it’s about feeling again.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
holding on to things that do not belong to me-generational patterns that either continue with me or end with me. “Kutheni” marks the beginning of this practice. Even asking why can be revolutionary in a Black household, where conformity to chaos is often expected. The entire EP is a confrontation with paternal figures, rooted in a deep expression of hurt and pain, ultimately seeking clarity so that I, a Black child, can move forward- a yearning shared by many children alike.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
You were not wrong. Everything you saw, felt, and noticed was part of the deep awareness you’ve been both blessed and cursed with. It will become the very tool you use to heal as you grow older.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Part of my healing is rooted in vulnerability—being honest, not performing for social media’s sake. As a society, we’ve lost touch with authentic connection and often accept the falsehoods spread across the internet. I refuse to participate in that. I have always been inspired by artists like Yebba, Adele, and Amy Winehouse—artists who shared themselves vulnerably with their audiences—because connection happens in that space of honesty. We are all navigating something in this unpredictable world, and it is through vulnerability that we truly meet one another.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That no matter what he went through, he remained kind, patient, and wanted the best for everyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/harmonizeto
• Instagram: intagram.com/harmonizeto
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@harmonizetokuza

Image Credits
EthelImages