With Ingubo Enamehlo, Halo Yagami has crafted a body of work that is both emotionally immersive and sonically transportive. It feels strikingly personal, steeped in intimate reflection and heartfelt detail, yet at the same time…
By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
Monde Thuthukani Ngcobo, known professionally as Halo Yagami, has quietly carved out a distinctive space within South Africa’s ever-evolving R&B and alternative soul landscape. Born in the township of KwaMashu in Durban and now based in Johannesburg, the 28-year-old singer, songwriter, and producer first captured widespread attention with his debut EP, Usiba, in early 2022.
That release marked the arrival of a genre-blending voice that fused soulful R&B with Maskandi-rooted storytelling and experimental electro-soul textures, drawing critical praise for its haunting lyricism and emotional vulnerability. His versatility—serving as composer, producer, and performer on nearly every track he releases—has positioned him as a fully self-sufficient creative force, equally comfortable in the studio booth and behind the mixing desk.
Across the past few years, and across a number of other notable projects like 2023’s Silhouette Dreams and 2024’s Finally Found Her, he has collaborated with some of South Africa’s most prominent contemporary musicians, including Shekhinah, Sjava, Phila Dlozi, Ovuyonke, and Maglera Doe Boy, all while maintaining his independent status.
This has not hindered his reach: Halo has earned millions of streams and landed placements on influential playlists such as Africa Rising and Breaking R&B, steadily building a loyal audience drawn to his emotive sound and unique blend of sonic textures.
Now, in August 2025, he returns with Ingubo Enamehlo (Zulu for “The Blanket with Eyes”), his fifth release and third studio album. Entirely self-produced and rooted in the concept of music as both empathy and protection, the project invites listeners into a world where sound becomes fabric, watching over and wrapping around those it touches. Featuring guest appearances from Phila Dlozi, Ovuyonke, and Lia Butler, the Ingubo Enamehlo continues Halo Yagami’s usual blend of Maskandi-inflected storytelling and soft, minimalist electro-R&B.
“Ngiyala” opens Ingubo Enamehlo with the gentlest of gestures. Round, warm bass lines nestle beneath bright keys and subtle string flourishes, while background textures of chirping birds nestle into the dreamy atmosphere. The percussion hits are heavily effected, floating just beneath the surface, helping sculpt a sensual.
Halo Yagami’s vocals are just as languid, delivering his words with a sultry elegance and a sense of patience: “ngik’nchishe iskhathi/ ngzokwenza konk’ oksemandleni/ injabulo yakh’ ibalulekile kimi / ngiqed’ ukbik’ okhambeni” [“I’m going to take my time/ I will do my best/ her happiness is important to me/ I’m going to finish my report”]. Sparse backing vocals drift in and out, melting into the core of the production. It is a soft opening, but one heavy with intent and quiet desire.
“Nginesifiso” strips everything back. A solo electric guitar is softly strummed. Over it, Halo Yagami sings in a gentle hush, with angelic ululations and soft adlibs, which gradually rise into rich group harmonies. The emotional resonance is palpable in every note of this duet between guitar and voice: “Nginesifiso/ Sokuba nawe/ Kuze kufike/ zinsuku zokugcina/ Ngicela uklal’ eceleni kwakho” [“I have a desire/ To be with you/ Until the final days arrive/ I ask to sleep beside you/ All the days of my life”].
“Mkhwenyana” continues this stripped approach, again led by solo guitar but with the addition of a subtle bass line that creeps in and out, adding delicate crescendos when needed. Halo blends Folk sensibilities with R&B intuition, singing in a soft upper register, almost falsetto, blending seamlessly with the featured vocalist, Ovuyonke.
Together, their voices flow through sweeping melodies and dancing harmonies full of ache and hope. “Mina ngyohleli ngikthanda / Noma usekudeni / Njalo njengo mkhwenyana / Ngyohleli ngikbala / Ngivumele ngikwakhel’ ikhaya (ikhaya lakho) / Ngaphakathi kwami” [“I will always love you / Even if you’re far away / Always like a groom / I will always count (on you) / Allow me to build you a home (your home) / Inside of me”].
“Ngonyiwe” brings a burst of summery light into Ingubo Enamehlo. Plucked rhythm guitars brighten the mood with a sunny feel, and Halo is once again joined by Ovuyonke alongside L.vow, whose smooth buttery delivery elevates the song’s harmonic blend. Their trio of voices glide through passages of harmonised group singing, processed with dreamy effects that accentuate the song’s tender romanticism. “Ilanga maliphum’ ekseni/ Lingkhumbuza wena/ Ndik’thanda okwenyani/ Nezinyanya ziyayazi/ Indlela endik’thanda ngayo” [“When the sun rises in the morning/ It reminds me of you/ I love you truly/ Even the ancestors know/ How deeply I love you”].
“Amagula” drops the tempo again, pulling the listener inward into something more spiritual and solemn. Built around a meditative solo piano figure repeating a two-chord progression with delicate embellishments, the song is haunted by longing and reflection. Halo sings gently, each note soaked in restraint and pain: “Kuchitheka amagula/ Mak’thintan’ izikhumba zethu/ Uma siyavuma/ Zonke izono zethu/ Ayikho int’ ezos’ hlupha” [“The burdens are spilling over/ Let our skins touch/ When we confess/ All our sins/ There is nothing that will trouble us”]. Phila Dlozi joins with a verse full of raw texture, his voice cracking at times under the weight of the emotion.
“Ivolovolo” stands out for its haunting structure and dramatic vocal arc. Built on atmospheric piano chords that leave plenty of negative space, the delivery becomes more rhythmic and poetic, with Halo shifting into a faster, staccato cadence. He moves between gravelly low notes and soft, heady highs with ease, layering spoken-word stylings over back-up vocals and subtle harmonic support.
“Ngipheth’ ivolovolo/ lothando esandleni/ Angiy’ding’ ipo popolo/ Nang’ engimfunay’ eduze kwami/ Ngifa la w’fa khona/ Olwethu lucokeme/ Luyimfihlakalo lolo lwethu” [“I’m holding a revolver/ of love in my hand/ I don’t need the police/ Here’s the one I want, right beside me/ I die where you died/ What we have is sacred/ It’s a mystery, this thing that is ours”].
“Emahlathini Amnyama” lifts the pace with a strummed Afrobeats-like rhythm guitar and chugging electric guitar accents. It’s the most vibrant cut on Ingubo Enamehlo thus far. The energy here is more joyful, driven by layers of consistent harmonising vocals that fill the mix with exuberance and warmth.
The lyrics lean into romantic proclamation: “Ushukel’ emoyeni wami/ Kuth’ angimemez’ emaweni/ Ngibekel’ obaleni/ Indaba yami nawe” [“You stirred something in my spirit/ That made me want to shout from the mountains/ To lay out in the open/ My story with you”]. It is one of the more animated moments on the record, and it still maintains the tenderness that defines the Ingubo Enamehlo.
“Engubeni” slows the mood again but trades spiritual introspection for steamy physical intimacy. Here we get the first taste of drums across Ingubo Enamehlo. Sensual bedroom R&B production of steady hi-hats, a deep round kick drum, sharp claps, and a prominently riffing bass guitar sets the mood, while sparse piano chords and a wailing electric synth add just the right amount of colour.
Lia Butler’s feature is the song’s emotional high point, her high, breathy, head-voiced delivery slicing through the mix in contrast to Halo’s low smoulder. Together they heighten the sensuality of the lyrics: “Woz’ engubeni/ Mayiqale inkonzo/ Sijuluke/ Sivuk’ umoya/ Sibiz’ igama leNkosi” [“Come under the covers/ Let the service begin/ Let us sweat/ Let the spirit awaken/ Let us call the name of the Lord”].
“The Craving” leans into alternative R&B stylings, its soft two-chord piano progression wrapped in electronic textures and a sliding bassline that gives it subtle funk. Percussive electronic toms click in alongside hi-hats and laid-back drums.
For the first time on Ingubo Enamehlo, Halo sings mostly in English here, with a conversational, measured cadence that turns the sensual into something casual and mutual. “When she shows up at my house/ In the middle of the night/ I don’t freak out/ I know that the craving is mutual/ I’ll make sure you don’t drown”. The delivery is half-sung, half-spoken, full of late-night honesty and mellow desire.
Ingubo Enamehlo closes with soft Rock momentum and sweeping emotions in “Yonkimihla”. A thrumming bass guitar, piano, and strummed guitar chords form the bedrock, while syncopated flam snares and rolling kicks propel the Rock energy.
Electronic synths sweep and wash around Halo’s swelling ululations and chant-like vocals, creating a dreamy crescendo to end on. “I’ve been on a mission to/ Have you under my wing eyy/ Baby I’ve been missing you/ Since the day you left”. The group vocals soar here, piercing and high-pitched, floating over a bed of swimming melody. It ends not in a whisper but in a kind of gentle ascension, closing the record like a benediction.
With Ingubo Enamehlo, Halo Yagami has crafted a body of work that is both emotionally immersive and sonically transportive. It feels strikingly personal, steeped in intimate reflection and heartfelt detail, yet at the same time, it speaks to something broader, something deeply human and relatable.
This delicate duality is a testament to his maturity as a songwriter and his instinctive ability to navigate the emotional terrain of longing, love, desire, and devotion. True to his roots in the maskandi tradition, the songs are driven first and foremost by their lyrics, where depth, narrative, and metaphor are central.
Yet, this lyrical focus is paired with the sensibilities of R&B, where the emphasis falls on mood and emotion. Halo moves effortlessly between the two. His songs swell with R&B’s sensuality and emotional candour while grounded in the poetic instinct and narrative fluency of maskandi, where even the simplest phrases are layered with meaning and symbolic weight. The writing here would stir the heart of any literature teacher.
But the writing is only one vessel. It is the delivery, in his voice, and those of his collaborators, that gives the emotion its flesh. Each track arrives with its own tone, emotional temperature, and performance. Halo Yagami does not simply sing these songs; he inhabits them, channels them, allows them to quake through his vocal cords.
There are moments when the voice trembles with pain, others when it soars with reverence and joy. His vocals never feel ornamental or showy. They are always purposeful, always in service of the feeling being conveyed.
At times, he brushes against his technical limits, but this only reinforces the honesty. These songs are not about vocal perfection, but emotional communication, and Halo’s ability to craft harmonies and spiritual melodic arcs allows his voice to carry far beyond the technical into the deeply affective.
The bareness of the instrumental palette also echoes his maskandi roots. The early songs are built almost entirely around guitar, later tracks centre the piano, and only toward the end does the production begin to blossom with drums and more layered elements, drawing nearer to contemporary R&B.
This gradual expansion gives the Ingubo Enamehlo a narrative arc beyond its lyrics—a sense of forward motion, of evolution and release. The production is never fussy or overwrought. It does what is necessary to elevate the emotional content, leaving space for Halo’s voice to be the anchor.
For the most part, the engineering is clean and restrained, with little clutter in the mix. There are one or two moments where vocal tuning becomes a little more audible than necessary, but they remain rare. The softness of the songs is matched by the softness and spaciousness of their soundscapes.
Ingubo Enamehlo is an embrace. It draws the listener into its world and holds them there. It whirls with emotion, crafted through deliberate composition and masterful curation of sonic elements, in a way that is rapidly becoming Halo Yagami’s signature. In just three years, he has moved with clarity and courage, steadily carving out a space that is his own.
The potential he displays here is more than promising; it is inspiring. And for those who have been listening closely, it is clear that the sky has no limit. Wherever he chooses to soar next, his listeners will follow.
Lyricism – 1.6
Tracklisting – 1.5
Sound Engineering – 1.5
Vocalisation – 1.5
Listening Experience – 1.4
Rating – 7.5/10
Yinoluwa “Yinoluu” Olowofoyeku is a multi-disciplinary artist and creative who finds expression in various media. His music can be found across all platforms and he welcomes interaction on his social media @Yinoluu.