Legendary Singer Simphiwe Dana Opens Up About Grief Behind ‘MOYA’ Album
- Coming from being awarded the Gallo Renaissance Award at the Basadi in Music Awards, Simphiwe Dana sat down to speak about her sixth studio album
- The legendary singer discussed the grief that shaped her project as well as the emotional toll of losing her mother at a young age
- She also shared a powerful message about being selfish and looking out for oneself, even if that means everything else falls apart in the process
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Source: Instagram
Simphiwe Dana sat down with DJ Fresh and Thato on Kaya Creator's Corner on 11 August 2026 for a conversation that quickly moved far beyond her career and achievements.
The focus turned to MOYA, Dana's sixth studio album, a surprise release that arrived unexpectedly in January, without any prior promotional work or even a roll-out.
The grief that built Simphiwe Dana's album
Dana explained that MOYA grew out of a season of loss following her mother's death. As the firstborn in her family, she had assumed the role of emotional anchor for her siblings, which meant grief had no space in her heart.
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"I had to be quite strong for my siblings as the firstborn at home. So I could not cry. I had to be strong and make sure that my mom was laid to rest in a manner befitting of her position in my life, in all of our lives
"So for a long time, because I was swallowing the pain, it was sucking me dry. I lost so much weight. I couldn't eat. I couldn't talk. But I wasn't crying, until one day something compelled me to go to my studio."
She was asked whether working through such raw material brought relief or intensified the hurt. The singer recently added another milestone to her career after picking up the Gallo Renaissance Award at the 5th annual Basadi in Music Awards.
She explained how she used to cope with grief, saying she "swallowed" it to avoid confronting it.
"Grief is something that will never leave you. But facing it, it helps you compartmentalise it and prevents those huge outbursts of emotion, untethered emotion. What we mostly do is that we swallow our grief, because it is too hard to face it. And I was one of those."
Source: Instagram
iFani reacts to Sol Phenduka's praise
In an earlier report, Briefly News shared iFani's reaction to Sol Phenduka complimenting his new project.
The rapper shared an emotional message as well as insight into his struggles and the story that shaped his mixtape.
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Source: Briefly News
