Naledi Aphiwe kicks off the year 2026 with the long-awaited viral song “Come Duze” with Mawelele

 “Come Duze” marks yet another creative reunion between the two artists, following the warm reception of their previous collaborations.

The ‘Romeo and Juliet’ music sequel, which Naledi Aphiwe and Mawelele started continues. This time, they prepare for another major release on Friday 30 January 2026, titled “Come Duze.”

“Come Duze” symbolizes the moment of uncertainty, tough love, and the lengthy process of reconnection. It serves as the sequel to their previous release, “Buya Ekhaya” – a song that captured the emotional turning point of a relationship – an unwillingness to reconcile. Buya Ekhaya explored Mawelele’s plea for forgiveness and vulnerability. “Come Duze”  follows as an extension of Naledi Aphiwe’s mystery in the relationship. The song reimagines the classic love story through a modern lens.

Sonically, “Come Duze” is made up of soothing African pop sounds and melodies and the signature South African bounce from gifted producer, Kinglee Beats. Mawelele opens the song with a captivating verse followed by the chorus. Naledi Aphiwe then matches the energy with her verse, leading the song to its climax, before they jointly sing the chorus. This perfectly laced hit record is set to give South African Afropop a step ahead as the first certified hit for 2026.

“Come Duze” is a smooth, emotionally rich offering that blends Naledi Aphiwe’s tender, expressive vocals with Mawelele’s signature melodic flair.

Speaking about the collaboration, Naledi Aphiwe shared that working with Mawelele continues to feel organic and creatively fulfilling.

“Our musical conversations are natural. We always meet, each other halfway, emotionally, creatively and with honesty.”

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

How many songs have you made with Mawelele thus far?

We have done four amazing songs together. We initially wanted to make an entire album, but times were not aligning last year for us to release it.

How is Come Duze different from the previous songs?

Come Duze is a continuation to “Buya Ekhaya” which was about forgiveness. Come Duze is a Happy-Ending moment to a complicated fairytale between myself and Mawelele. Unlike our first two collabs which were the begining of our love story.

How would you describe the sound on “Come Duze?”

It is a groovy type of Afropop. Mawelele is more into chilled RNB vibes, but I am a High Key, sing-along type of a vocalists. Such contrasts is what makes a perfect combonation in music.

What makes this musical union so appealing to u and to fans?

 I love making music with Mawelele, we are both young and passionate about Afropop and RNB, thats why it always made sense to me to work with him. The fans, I think they love both of us, our breakthrough was around the same time, so a collaboration with the 2 of us always made sense to them.

Is this your last collaboration with Mawelele or there will be more music to come form the to of you?

For now yes, it is the last collaboration. We felt we still owed it to our supporters to have a happy ending. It is time we focus on our respective projects. We have given people good moments to hold on to. Our collaboration has boosted our careers, we won awards, Broke Records, reached unbelievable milestons together.

As your career evolves, what qualities do you look for in future collaborators?

Talent, that is always on top of my list. if you look at all my collaborations, I focused on talent, not numbers because I know I already have that. We also need to connect and have synergy. The music needs to make sense.

What have you learned about balancing personal life and public perception as a rising artist?

Keeping my life private. Pople know my back story, hhow my journey began, and are inspired by it. Lately I have leaned tobe a littl ebit more private about my life.  I am still learning what to share.

You are starting off the year on a high note – setting the tone for the rest of the year. What would you like to achieve in 2026?

I want to prove myself with a body of work. And also gain more international recognition, that is my main focus. I want my music to reach other shores, more international collaborations,awards and bookings.

Who else would you like to collaborate with in the year 2026?

I would love to work with artists like Ayra Starr, Afrotraction, Summer Walker, Kabza De Small and my sister Nontokozo Mkhize.

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