“Carried by Chords, Grounded in Spirit: Inside IndianaRSA’s Umvakatshi EP”
asavela
27 May 2025
From the mountains of Mount Fletcher to the heart of Jo’burg’s sound — Umvakatshi is not just an EP, it’s a spiritual passport for the modern wanderer.
CARIED BY CHORDS, Grounded in spirit : Umvakatshi by IndianaRSA An EP that sings of movement, memory, and the magic of musical brotherhood.
What does it mean to belong when you're always in motion? IndianaRSA’s Umvakatshi answers that question with soul-stirring precision. Born from Mount Fletcher’s sacred silence and shaped by the pulse of Johannesburg’s music scene, this EP is more than a personal journey — it’s a spiritual offering for anyone who’s ever felt like a visitor in their own story.
Featuring the rich voices of Skoen Pampiri, Mo’Believe, LUKS9767, and Grootman Chillz, Umvakatshi invites listeners into a soundscape where Afrobeat meets gospel, vulnerability meets groove, and every lyric is a step toward home — wherever that may be.
“Being a visitor used to feel like a burden. Now, it feels like a gift.” — IndianaRSA
Rooted in the Mountains, Rising Beyond Borders
Mount Fletcher sits quietly in the mountains of South Africa’s Eastern Cape — a place of hymns, harmony, and history. It’s also the birthplace of Siphelele Sigenu, better known as IndianaRSA — a name now echoing far beyond village borders, carried by stage lights, international playlists, and a voice that refuses to forget home.
Raised on gospel and choral harmonies, Indiana’s early melodies were woven with spiritual weight and rural resilience. But like many whose talents stretch beyond small-town fences, the city called — Johannesburg, where dreams hit louder. That journey, from Eastern Cape chapel pews to Afropop and Afrobeat stages, comes to life in his latest offering: Umvakatshi — “visitor.” An EP that transforms the discomfort of displacement into sacred introspection.
“Umvakatshi is not just about where you come from. It’s about learning to be present — wherever you find yourself.” — IndianaRSA
Listen to the Full EP – Umvakatshi Spotify Link to the EP
Official Tracklist — Umvakatshi by IndianaRSA
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Ekhaya (feat. LUKS9767)
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Why
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Ngizohlala Nawe (feat. Skoen Pampiri)
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Umvakatshi (feat. Grootman Chillz)
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Ndiyabulela
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Asincenge Re-up (feat. Skoen Pampiri & Mo’Believe)
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Sibonane (feat. LUKS9767)
Lead Single Deep Dive: “Asincenge Re-up”
On Asincenge Re-up, IndianaRSA does something rare: he builds a song that feels both intimate and universal. The title, loosely translated as "Let Us Plead" or “Let Us Intercede,” suggests a collective cry — not just for help, but for understanding, connection, and spiritual clarity.
This is no ordinary remix. It’s a reimagination — emotionally denser, sonically fuller, and spiritually deeper than its original form. Here, IndianaRSA teams up with Skoen Pampiri and Nigeria’s Mo’Believe to craft a soundscape that moves from confession to communion.
The Sound: Afrobeat Meets Sonic Healing
The instrumental is hypnotic — a meditative Afrobeat rhythm laced with lo-fi hip-hop percussion and ghostlike synth textures. It’s not trying to hit hard — it’s trying to sit deep. The production creates space rather than filling it, allowing each artist to speak into the silence with purpose.
You hear echoes of ancestral calls in the background — choral hums, percussive delays, and open reverb that evoke the sacredness of African spiritual practices. This isn’t just music to dance to — this is music to be still with.
IndianaRSA’s Verse: Vulnerability as Power
Indiana opens the song with a verse that feels like a prayer whispered on a long walk home. He reflects on displacement, belonging, and identity with a tone that is neither bitter nor boastful — just brutally honest. His delivery is unfiltered, almost conversational, like he's inviting you into his inner dialogue.
“I wrote that verse during a week where I felt disconnected from everything — the language, the streets, even my own spirit. I had to find peace in that feeling. That’s what this song gave me.” — IndianaRSA
Skoen Pampiri’s Verse: Grit with Grace
When Skoen enters, the track lifts and grounds at the same time. His tone is gravelly, confident, and reflective. He doesn’t just rap — he remembers. Every bar is layered with lived experience: migration, survival, hunger, and hope.
“I wasn’t just trying to rhyme. I wanted to say something that would still mean something ten years from now. That’s what Indiana pulled out of me.” — Skoen Pampiri
Mo’Believe’s Hook: A Spiritual Anchor
Then comes the hook — a melody that floats over the track like incense smoke. Mo’Believe sings in Yoruba, and you don’t need a translation to understand him. His voice is an offering, a chant, a thread between Lagos and the Eastern Cape.
“I wasn’t singing for a verse. I was singing for my people, my late grandmother, and every time I felt like a stranger in my own city. That’s who I sing for.” — Mo’Believe
Why “Asincenge Re-up” Matters
In a music landscape that often prizes ego over essence, Asincenge Re-up is a breath of clarity. It doesn’t try to go viral. It tries to go inward. It’s a song for people who are tired of pretending, tired of performing, and ready to face the visitor inside themselves.
It reminds us that prayer isn’t always loud — sometimes it sounds like three voices meeting across borders to say, "I see you. I hear you. You’re not alone."
This is not just a collaboration — it’s a communion.
A Visitor’s Voice, A Global Invitation
The genius of Umvakatshi lies in its reframing of identity. Indiana doesn’t just tell us he feels like a visitor; he invites us into that space. And once there, we realize we’ve all been visitors — to cities, to cultures, even to versions of ourselves we’re still learning to embrace.
This project is for anyone navigating transformation: those who’ve migrated, grown, shifted, or shed parts of who they used to be. It’s for people with multiple homes in their hearts, who’ve come to understand the tension — and beauty — of belonging everywhere and nowhere all at once.
“I’m still that boy from the Eastern Cape — I’ve just got more people to sing with now.” — IndianaRSA
Artist Spotlights
IndianaRSA Carrying Eastern Cape melodies into new worlds, IndianaRSA is both visitor and guide.
Skoen Pampiri Grounded, introspective, and lyrically sharp — Skoen Pampiri is the griot of hard roads.
Mo’Believe
Mo’Believe brings ancestral depth and soulful clarity from West Africa to the world.
LUKS9767
Featured on two tracks, LUKS9767 blends melodic control with emotional resonance.
Grootman Chillz A magnetic presence on the title track, Grootman Chillz adds boldness to reflection.
Follow the Artists
@indianaRSA – Instagram
@Skoen Pampiri – Instagram
@Mo’Believe – Instagram | Twitter
@LUKS9767 – Instagram
@Grootman Chillz – Instagram
#UmvakatshiEP #AsincengeReUp #IndianaRSA #WeReady #EasternCapeToTheWorld
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