The official release date of Wax’ anticipated album, RELOADED is set for 25 October 2010. Initially billed for May, it was postponed after his junior sister and protégé went missing for a couple of weeks in Johannesburg, initially feared kidnapped.

It has been a rollercoaster since then for the former Spokesperson of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), who quit two UN jobs in quick succession, and got tied in a legal battle over publishing rights for Waka Waka, the official World Cup song. During the same period, he came under a barrage of attacks from critics who questioned his musicianship as a silhouette of a buzzing career in media and communications.

 “I started writing new, upbeat songs and realised that the music really made me feel better about myself. So I wrote more and decided to rework my album,” says Wax aka Nde Ndifonka.

 The result is a fourteen-track album that blends R&B with elements of house and dance, and has already produced three hit songs. ‘Miss Real, Mr. Regular’ leads the pack, a groovy ballad that continues to grow across the country since it was first embraced by METRO FM and YFM. The song appears on ONE Africa All-Stars 2010 compilation released by SONY music and has been licensed for documentaries by Mnet and SAA among others. It has also been remixed by house and hip-hop producers, and features on dance compilations such as House of Flava mixed by Y FM’s Mo Flava.

Two new tracks have taken off on the airwaves - ‘Candy Girl’, a summer treat, is a blend of house and R&B, while ‘Rainbow’, offers househeads something to jive to while savouring smooth, romantic lyrics effortlessly delivered by a succinct love story-teller.

‘The album was initially titled AFRICAN DREAM RELOADED and it was meant to be an urban version of my album, AFRICAN DREAM. However, with 11 brand new songs, I now chose to go simply with RELOADED.”

Recorded in Cape Town and Johannesburg, the album boasts an array of talented musicians. South African heavyweights, Omen and Rowick Deep came in as producers and featured artists, while Canada-based and Zimbabwe-born Nyasha produced the ballad ‘Bring back love’, thanks to electronic file-sharing technology. Another Zimbabwean, Kaez Ngoerata, joined Wax to pen and produce some tracks. Award-winning R&B sensation, TP and firebrand rapper Azure Green are featured on ‘Candy Girl’ and ‘keep on’ respectively. Nigerian dancehall singer Blackwolf joins him on ‘Bring it on’ to deliver an electro-dance number, produced by upcoming South African, Eccentrix. However, the soul and acoustic flavour for which Wax is known is not lost in the album, and his persona perhaps comes through strongest on “Thursday” where he showcases his dexterity as a pianist, guitarist, arranger and engineer.

Besides the song ‘Keep on’ which addresses the reservations of his critics about his musical path, the album bears a love-bound theme, a subliminal reflection of the transition Wax has undergone over the past couple of years from a reserved playwright, social activist and communications practitioner to a firebrand entertainer, record label owner, and growing public figure.

“I wanted to expose more of my softer side; the sweet-talking, effortlessly charming, helpless romantic – vulnerable and predating at the same time, ready to give and ready to receive – sometimes shy, but perennially addicted to love. The songs are not just about love – they are an incision into the aspirations, realities, and emotional peaks and dips of every lover.”

Wax recently headlined South Africa’s Africa day concert broadcast live on SABC2, and was a winner of the Gauteng Songs Competition. In May this year, he was named by American magazine, LADYBRILLE as Man of the Month, for his use of music to spread social awareness. His growing appeal to new audiences has come with new challenges in meeting the demands for songs that not only have an international appeal, but also local relevance in urban South Africa.

‘Reloaded’ addresses that demand, and sets a new tone for a notable emissary of African music.

Wax has been named ‘Man of the Month’ by US Ladybrille Magazine, dubbed Africa’s No. 1 Fashion and Entertainment magazine for the West. 

The Cameroon-born and South-Africa based singer and producer who graces the cover of the May issue is being recognised for his fast-growing proudly African brand, and for his use of music to inspire the African youth and raise awareness on social issues. 

Wax, aka Nde Ndifonka, went to law school before commencing a career in music, and his passions for people and music has remained intertwined since then. 

He delivers deeply loaded lyrics that addresses core social issues. He has worked in human rights protection for several years, and travels across continents regularly to help raise funds for charity and give talks on pressing issues affecting Africa. 

But the record label owner insists he is not only a social activist, as shown by his hit love song “Miss Real, Mr Regular”. He also recently made headlines when he released a World Cup song dedicated to ladies. 

“My music is about people, and all issues that people face, whether it be love, injustice, war, joy, or social prejudice”, says Wax.

 The May Issue of Ladybrille Magazine is out now. Available online. 

For more information please contact Edgar Rathelele of Lolhiphop Records: 27 82 059 9243

But Cameroon-born and South Africa-based soul sensation, Wax thinks the ladies need to be included in the fun. So the charming ‘Miss Real, Mr Regular’ singer has produced a song for specifically the ladies.

The pop-dance track is entitled Do it (Like an African) and will debut on radio next Friday on Kaya FM. Some of it can also heard on the music page of Wax’ website. It is produced by stablemate, Neo ‘Eccentrix’ Nchupetsang. 

The song is based on the fact that the Soccer World Cup is being celebrated as an African event. It explores the music and cultures of the different African countries that will be participating in the World Cup, and  calls on women from all over the globe to seize the opportunity to educate themselves on Africa, its music, its culture and…its men. 

“While we all enjoy the game, there is an extra boon for the ladies - the sight of all those hunks, and Africa has that in amplitude” says Wax coyly. 

A music video for the song, featuring ladies from different parts of the globe and men from participating African countries will be shot next Sunday in Sandton, Johannesburg. 

For more information, please contact Lolhiphop Records’ Edgar DS Rathelele on edgar@waxexperience.com or 27 (0) 820599243

Meanwhile, you can join Wax on SHIFT, SABC1 at 1pm on Monday 8 March, for an exclusive live performance of the song everyone’s curious about: African Dream. Plus: Wax (Mr Nde Ndifonka) discusses why African is Lekker; mental slavery; and how IOM’s ONE Movement is working to promote human rights and a deeper understanding of Africa in the streets!

Coming soon: AFRICAN DREAM RELOADED! (SA only)

C ya! And we love y’all! Really!

Cameroonian-born soul singer, Wax, and South African songstress, Peggy will set the stage alight at Djembe in Meropa Casino, Polokwane, in celebration of South Africa’s Heritage weekend on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th September. The Lolhiphop Records duo are set to deliver two riveting and eclectic shows that will showcase the richness of African heritage through song and dance. Wax performs regularly overseas with a trademark blend of pop and afro-soul, and he will take to the stage for the first time in Polokwane. The “Miss Real, Mr Regular” singer, aka Nde Ndifonka, will be backed by musicians from different parts of the continent, promising the audience an exciting experience of different African rhythms. Meanwhile, Daveyton-born Peggy Matseke will after a hiatus, reconnect with fans in Polokwane, delivering among others, hit songs such as “Uzonkhumbula” and “Masechaba”. The albums “African Soul’ by Wax and “Peggy” by Peggy are co-released by Lolhiphop records and Sheer Sound. Wax has since followed up with another offering ‘African Dream’, recently released in South Africa and Cameroon, and enticing a more diverse listernship with a more urban sound.