South African music icon Samthing Soweto has made a powerful comeback with his long-awaited second album, Touch Is a Move: Good Morning.
The album captures a day in Soweto and presents a rich collection of love songs from one of the nation’s most cherished voices — affectionately known as “iqanda le country.”
The album’s title draws inspiration from Samthing Soweto’s personal philosophy and daily rituals. “Touch Is a Move” reflects a rule from childhood games — once you touch a piece, you must make your move.
For Samthing, this evolved into a way of life: living courageously, without hesitation. “Good Morning” emerged from his 2023 ritual of greeting his online community daily, a simple yet powerful act of maintaining connection.
Together, the two ideas form the foundation of an album that explores how small, intentional acts and words shape identity and belonging.
Touch Is a Move: Good Morning unfolds like a full day in Soweto, told through the eyes of a five-year-old Samkelo in the early 1990s. Listeners meet his family — uMama, uGogo, bhut’ Lungisa, sis’ Amina, and sis’ BhiBhi — through his childhood perspective.
These scenes are interwoven with reflections on community and heritage, blending nostalgic memory with present-day insight. As the self-described “iqanda lakubo” (last-born), young Samkelo’s voice serves as a guide through moments of innocence, love, and discovery.
Running alongside these interludes is a series of deeply emotional love songs that reveal different shades of affection — from playful to profound. Tracks like “Indandatho” vow eternal love through tradition, while “Ama Get Down” (featuring Blxckie) wrestles with emotional confusion in a strained relationship.
“Don’t Wanna Let Go” pleads for reconciliation, “Swi” flirts with an ex, and “Amagents” offers a father’s tender warning to his daughter about boys. Other highlights include “Come Duze”, a call for closeness; “325”, a poetic celebration of romance; and “Ngicela Sithandane”, a vulnerable request for love.
The album’s final track, “GoodNight”, closes with uGogo’s prayer, as young Samkelo drifts to sleep — ending the day, and the record, in peace and reflection.
Born Samkelo Lelethu Mdolomba, Samthing Soweto remains one of Africa’s most influential musical storytellers.
As a founding member of The Soil, he transformed the sound of modern a cappella before achieving solo stardom with chart-toppers like “Akanamali,” “Akulaleki,” “AmaDM,” and his platinum-selling debut Isphithiphithi.
With this new project, he reaffirms his place as a heavyweight in South African music — a soulful innovator whose voice bridges generations and carries both memory and meaning.
