Kenny Bevhula’s journey – from 1998 to 2017

Kenny Bevhula’s journey in the music industry is pregnant with success stories and the insistence of working in a team. Bevhula who hails from Bevhula Village in Limpopo is a Xitsonga traditional musician who started his music career in 1998 and released his debut Disco album produced by the legendary General Muzka. In the year 1999 he released his second album titled ‘Shangaan Vibe’ which got him his 1^st nomination in Xitsonga Music Awards for best Disco and it was recorded under stable “Bevhula Music”.

“My entry in to the music industry was largely influenced by legends such as General Muzka and the late Matshwa Bemuda” – Kenny Bevhula

In 2001 he began DJying in clubs and parties around Pretoria and he was known as DJ Kenny Bee and in addition to that he also released a soundtrack titled ‘Ithemba lami’ for Yizo Yizo3 in 2003. He later released couple of House music albums before switching to traditional music. He recorded his 1st Xitsonga traditional album in 2013 under Bevhula Entertainment called ‘Khwirhi ra mabyalwa’ which was produced by the late Chris Sibanyoni, the same man who produced most of Matshwa Bemuda’s albums. In 2014 he released his 2nd Xitsonga album named Whawha which also earned him nominations at Xitsonga Music Awards 2014 for best Xitsonga collaboration on which he has worked with the likes of Benny Mayengani, Prince Rhangani under a group called Black Poison. This was the album which also earned him many followers and unlocked many doors.

In 2015, he released his 3rd album titled ‘Swarila’ which was produced by Benny Mayengani and Prince Rhangani. The album also features heavy weights of Xitsonga music like Sunglen Chabalala, Percy Mfana, Sarila, Nkhensi and Jelani. The album also managed to have many hit songs such as ‘Kecekece’ and ‘Swarila’. The album was nominated for Best Xitsonga album on the SATMA Awards and scooped Best Male and best collaboration awards in the annual Munghana Lonene Awards. Bevhula said his recent success can be attributed to the insistence of selecting the best musicians and teams to work with and ensuring that there is no element of beef and vulgar language in his lyrics. “I am eternally grateful to the artists who had contributed to my music career.” Bevhula concludes.

In 2016, he released another traditional album titled Celecele where he worked with popular artists like Limpopo Roots, Prince Rhangani, Sunglen, Jelani and Mora. The album produced popular hits like Ncinisa Nyonga and U siye nwana.

Kenny Bevhula is about to release another album called ‘Suka Kona’ (Wani Sirhela) where he featured artists like Florah Nwa-Chauke, Nurse Matlala, Sunglen, Mora and the legendary producer, Prince Rhangani. His Radio single Suka Kona is currently has over 18 000 downloads in less than a week.

Apart from Music, he runs a Security Company by the name of Buffalo Bodyguards & Security. He is also committed to addressing societal issues and giving back to the community through his Non-Profit organization called Bevhula Foundation.