New soul voice brings a lighter touch to South African house

This hotly-anticipated debut from a protégé of DJ and producer Sun-El Musician is an impressive statement of purpose. Across 12 tracks of sun-dappled Afropop, Simmy channels South African house rhythms and embellishes them with lush neo-soul textures, muted piano-house flourishes and an airy vocal that floats like the titular Tugela Fairy. Her intoxicating sound girds grounded lyrics like “Ubala”, a tale of self-reckoning told with a defiant choral refrain over an insistent, irresistible skip of a beat.