Duduza – Gospel artist Nontokozo Deborah Hlatshwayo (22), known as Nontokozo H from Bluegum View in Duduza, has released her debut single, which is more than a musical milestone. It is a testimony of faith, loss and finding her way back to God.

The song, ‘My Faithful God’, will be released on October 15, her birthday. Hlatshwayo explains that the song was born during what she described as one of the most difficult seasons of her life.

She had reached a point where she felt she had given up on God and her salvation journey while also dealing with the loss of her father, who was an important person in her life.

Hlatshwayo highlights that the experience made her realise that God’s love was not dependent on her ability to love Him perfectly.

“I changed, but He did not change. I walked away, but He remained faithful. That’s why I call Him My Faithful God,” she says.

Through the song, she hopes listeners who may feel that they have gone too far or fallen short will be reminded that God has not given up on them.

The University of Johannesburg law graduate explains that documenting the song’s creation on her YouTube channel mattered because she wanted people to see more than the finished product.

The journey of creating the song included moments of failure, uncertainty, and exhaustion, as well as the challenges of learning the business side of music.

As an independent artist, Hlatshwayo and her team had to research how to record, publish and release the song while also learning from mistakes along the way.

One of her biggest challenges was overcoming the fear that she wasn’t good enough to write an original song.

“I wanted to give people a good song. I did not want to release something just for the sake of saying I had released an original,” she says.

Despite the challenges, she continued working on the song and believes the difficulties formed part of the journey.

Hlatshwayo grew up as a pastor’s child and was involved in church choirs and worship from a young age. However, she shares that she never imagined that she would eventually become a gospel artist.

She initially viewed singing as part of growing up in church, but over time she developed a deeper love for music and ministry.

“I think that is where I realised that God chose me; I did not choose this calling for myself,” she says.

For Hlatshwayo, gospel music is not simply about performing. She explains that her faith is the foundation of what she creates, and she wants her music to point people toward God rather than gain recognition as an artist.

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“As a gospel artist, I do not want to create music simply because I can sing or because I want to be recognised as an artist. I want what I create to point people back to God,” she says.

She hopes her journey will also encourage more young people to pursue gospel music and use their talents to glorify God.

Hlatshwayo believes young people should not wait until they are older or facing difficult circumstances before developing a relationship with God.

“I would love for a young person to look at me and say, ‘Actually, this is the right thing to do. I can choose God while I am still young,’” she says.

Beyond the new song, Hlatshwayo is also working towards In His Presence with Nontokozo H, which she describes as a mandate to call people back to God through worship, repentance, surrender and prayer.

While she is not certain what the future holds for her music, she indicates that she is trusting God to guide her.