Somewhere between putting myself first and being accountable for my actions
Somewhere between being selfless and selfish
I’m standing in the middle of nothing surrounded by everything I’ve ever thought possible
I’ve changed and shifted so much in the last 7 years
I’m a lot more soft-spoken and calmer than usual
I’m in a state of eternal peace and I’m less fussy about the little things that normally bother me
I’m settling down
Somewhere between being present where I am and how far I’ve come
Somewhere between needing myself more and taking what life throws at me one moment at a time
I’m realising that there comes a point when you have to know what is embedded in your heart and when life pushes you to walk alone
It doesn’t matter how similar or the same my circumstances might be to others
My choices are my own and my actions are my own
The repercussions I will have to face on my own
I’m careful and mindful not to take on people’s vices and thought patterns
I am objective and subjective simultaneously
I’m grounded
Somewhere between being in acceptance of people’s processes and loving myself and them unconditionally
Somewhere between being in acceptance of people’s opinions and life choices while holding on to myself indefinitely
Somewhere between death and rebirth
I’m going through such a beautiful process
Somewhere between finding comfort in self-soothing when things don’t seem to go my way and being more open to the natural flow of things
Angela Nimah, is a South African creative entrepreneur, musician, writer, illustrator, crochet designer and founder of crochet & knitwear clothing brand R V L™. She started taking interest in the arts at an early age. While other kids would play in the streets, she would spend time reading, sketching and writing. In school, she participated in extra mural art and dance classes, poetry and reading clubs. She studied visual arts and design at The National School of Arts before matriculating in 2009. She then went on to study journalism and media studies. This would later become a reminder of her love for literacy and literature.
2012 was the kick-start to her music career. One of her friends from college heard her music and shortly after that she was introduced to Lex Makgothi, who was at the time studying sound engineering at the of Sound Engineering (ASE) at the SABC. It was there that she began recording her first compilation of music which she self-categorised as Voodoo Soul.
Her first EP offering, The Avolution, produced by iamx, was released on April 18, 2014. The word Avolution is derived from the words ‘evolution’ and ‘avocardo’. Since green is the colour of growth, vegetation and fertilisation and evolution is about change and improvement, the EP supports the movement of going green and promotes balance and transformation. Her creative direction follows very few rules; pushing the envelope through her artistry by evoking society’s way of thinking.
Her second EP release, Diagnosis produced by Blister Jay Pop, released on April 18, 2015, was a transition in her spiritual and personal growth. The subject matter focuses on the stereotypes and stigmas attached to human conditions amongst artists and how those coincide with spirituality. She openly expresses her reality of what it’s like to be an unconventional artist who is almost always boxed into and idea based purely on her aesthetics, which in essence is just a perception: people will only see what they want to see without taking into consideration that artists are people too. The message transmuted into her third offering, The Odd One In produced by Mpho Maneta released April 19, 2016. With a much mature sound, The Odd One addresses issues of love, self-acceptance, change and new beginnings. It aims to share food-for-thought and healing. She’s done two other collaborative EP projects with producer Emamkay (Ankh Mind); Sunday Nectar and Patterns in 2017.
Influenced by R&B, soul, hip hop, jazz, tribal and funk, Angela Nimah draws out inspiration from artists like Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Aya, Goapele, Simphiwe Dana, Cama Gwini, Zap Mama, Amel Larruiex, Musiq Soul Child, Dwele and some of the more recent indie and soul artists.
She’s performed at Ram Jam Soul Sundays, Soweto Camp Festival, Where’s The Beef Women’s Expo, The Feminist Touch Series, The Boombox Hip Hop Show, Word N Sound open mics, Cuddle Sessions, 1Billion Rising, Woke Social in Pretoria, Kitcheners Bar, just to name a few. As an entrepreneur and clothing designer, she’s known for her crochet and knitwear designs under the brand RVL or Revolution Validates Life. The brand aims to change the ideas around fashion and fashion trends in South Africa, bringing a unique style through craftsmanship.