Nomayirha: Building Sound, Not Just Performing It

Nomayirha, known as Yirha, does not approach music from a single angle. She builds it from the inside out.

Based in Johannesburg, she has been immersed in music since childhood, starting as a vocalist at age eight before expanding to piano, tuba, ukulele, bass, and guitar.

That range is not a party trick. It shapes how she hears music, constructs it, and moves between performance and production.

“Music has always felt like home, but studying sound engineering at Academy of Sound Engineering gave me a way to shape the full experience. I am not only performing a song, but I am also shaping how it is heard and felt,” says Yirha.

That dual perspective reflects a broader shift in the industry. Artists are no longer only performers. They are expected to understand how their work is recorded, mixed, and delivered. In that context, technical fluency is not optional. It is leverage.

Her influences reflect a similar mindset. Artists such as Labrinth, Tyla, Dua Lipa, and Amy Winehouse stand out not because of their genres, but because of their clarity of identity and willingness to experiment. The through-line is control. Knowing what you want to say and how to shape the sound around it.

That thinking has already translated into real-world experience. She performed at Sophie Ndaba’s She’s A Wonder event, a platform focused on elevating female voices in the industry, and later toured Eritrea, performing for new audiences in a completely different cultural context. The shift from local stages to international ones is not just about scale. It forces adaptation. Different audiences respond differently, and that feedback reshapes how you approach performance.

What separates Nomayirha is not just versatility, but how she uses it. Moving between instruments, voice, and production allows her to approach a track from multiple entry points. A chord progression, a bass line, a vocal phrase, or a production choice can all become the starting point. That flexibility makes her less dependent on a single creative method and more responsive to each project’s demands.

“I stay motivated by experimenting. Whether it is learning a new instrument, writing a song, or trying a new production technique, every small step adds to my growth,” she says. “Consistency and resilience matter as much as talent. Every performance teaches you something, whether it is about the audience, your stage presence, or how you handle pressure.”

Looking ahead, her ambitions extend beyond personal output. “I want to keep growing as a singer, songwriter, and producer, but also help other young artists find their voice and build their path in the industry.”

There is a practical logic to that outlook. The industry is no longer structured around clearly defined roles. Artists who understand only one part of the process are limited by it. Those who can move between creation, production, and collaboration are better positioned to sustain themselves.
Her trajectory reflects that reality, not as a trend, but as a working model. She is not waiting to fit into the industry as it exists. She is building the skill set to operate within how it actually works.

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Author: Nhlalenhle Dlangalala from Hlanzekile River and Ocean Cleaning on behalf of Academy of Sound Engineering.

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