Performance artist Nirvana Nokwe-Mseleku, better known as Nirvana Nokwe, is among the young talents in South Africa.
Nokwe is a trained singer, actor, music producer, model, and filmmaker, born and raised in Johannesburg with roots in KwaMashu, Durban
With her family rooted in the arts, she grew up within the industry and has paved her way in entertainment. Throughout her career, Nokwe has been intentional about her decisions.
“It's been a welcome challenge. My journey right now and all the decisions I made before, I'm very proud of the nuance and the diversity of the opportunities that I’ve been offered and the opportunities that I created for myself.
“I think it's a very liberating time because I get to meet people who share the same values as me and we get to work on incredible things together.”
The 28-year-old starlet understands the power she possesses and stays true to her moral compass. “Being honest about what I want out of certain situations and what I'm willing to do according to my moral compass and what I'm not willing to do.
“When we as people are very clear about our boundaries and our values, life somehow begins to filter itself out, and certain things stop being negotiable.”
Nokwe stunned viewers with her role as leading lady Sihle Biyela in the internationally acclaimed Showmax Original “Outlaws.” She and the rest of the country learned that the second season of the hit show is “coming soon”.
“I've always been hungry to play a role that was a girl from the rural areas but was not one-track-minded about life,” says the actress about her character.
“I felt like in storytelling in South Africa there was a lack of dimensionality to women; she had to be powerful without being respectful and humble and rural.
“The merger of the two and the complexities of who she was in both those worlds and how they merged was just so interesting for me. I felt that a lot of women in South Africa, in particular, could resonate with that, and that's what I loved about Sihle.
“She was real in her nuance, real in her growth, real in how dynamic she was, and also real in her weaknesses.”
The actress also starred in the riveting crime thriller “Red Ink” as Busi Mhlongo. She has also starred as A$AP Rocky’s mother in the groundbreaking music video “Gangsta” by the Free Nationals, A$AP Rocky & Anderson Paak.
Nokwe describes the decision-making process when it comes to the roles she takes on, as a “slippery slope”, as there are a lot of factors to be considered.
“It's been very difficult to say ‘no’ as an actor in South Africa in particular; you're very conscious of the fact that there's a hostility present about actors being picky and actors having dignity.
“It's a very slippery slope because every decision you make is going to be perceived differently by whoever's making the decisions and there's like a long line of people.”
Growing up in the industry, Nokwe has learned to create a line between professional and people-pleasing.
“We do live in a South Africa that has a very low employment rate, and it is a hostile industry, but I think that if I, as a person, choose to participate in that hostility, I'm not helping the issue. I have to remain true to myself, even if that standard doesn't resonate with other people.”
This September, Nokwe, together with Stella Artois and in partnership with MAMASAMBA will host The Connect Super Club, a networking platform she founded where people of compatible values are brought together.
“I think it was essential that we bring about and start initiating very intentional conversations. The Connect Super Club is a business and social change, and essentially, we want to align people to create business and social change.
“The conversations are centred around getting to know each other deeper, getting to know our society deeper, getting to know who we are within our society and also just being able to build trust.”
During the dinner, cue cards are used as conversation starters, sparking conversations among the guests and encouraging them to interact with each other.
Nokwe’s fans will be glad to know that she has plans in the pipeline to release more music - confirming that she recorded music with Baby S.O.N.
“I don't think that my release is going to be conventional in any way.
“I intentionally took a back seat from music because I wanted more structure, and I wanted more value out of what I was giving. I wanted to make business sense for me and for the people that I'm working with.”
IOL Entertainment