Nakhane Mahlakahlaka (born Nakhane Lubabalo Mavuso, 3 February 1988) is a South African singer, songwriter, actor, and novelist. They were formerly known by the stage name Nakhane Touré. Having grown up in a Christian community in Port Elizabeth, they moved to Johannesburg at fifteen, leaving the church in 2013 and publicly celebrating their queerness with their debut album Brave Confusion. They found both controversy and critical acclaim with their starring role in John Trengove's 2017 feature film Inxeba (The Wound), and relocated to London, where they recorded and released a heavily autobiographical album You Will Not Die in 2018. Their work has been championed by Elton John, who interviewed Nakhane on his Beats 1 radio show, and Madonna, who cited them as one of her two favourite artists and said their music influenced her 2019 album Madame X.

Nakhane is non-binary and goes by they/them pronouns.

Nakhane was born Nakhane Lubabalo Mavuso in Alice, a small rural town in South Africa's Eastern Cape. They were raised by their grandmother until they were five years old, and at the age of seven they were adopted by their aunt, who, they have said, was "to all intents and purposes" their mother, and her husband. They grew up in Port Elizabeth and attended a racially integrated school, where they learnt to speak English. A few years later they changed their surname to Mahlakahlaka, their aunt's, and, to affirm a more distinctive identity, dropped their commonplace middle name.

At the age of 15, they moved to Johannesburg. Having known they were gay for a few years, they came out to their friends and cousins at the age of 17. At 18 they began reading the work of James Baldwin, with whose black queer characters they strongly identified, and who became a substantial influence on Nakhane. Nakhane studied two degrees at college – film music composition and acting, and then literature, both of which they abandoned after a year. At 19, the mother of Nakhane's ex-girlfriend outed Nakhane to their aunt, who took them to prophets who encouraged them to renounce their homosexuality. Nakhane met a pastor's son, whereupon they became devoutly religious, joined a conservative Baptist Church, regularly attended bible studies, underwent gay conversion therapy, and preached against homosexuality.

Throughout five years of attempting to deny their homosexuality, during which time they would secretly visit gay clubs, they suffered guilt, fear and self-hatred. They began to doubt the existence of God, and at 25 had a breakdown, sleeping on sofas thanks to compassionate friends the church had told them to cut ties with. They extricated themselves from the church and became more black-conscious.

Nakhane knew they wanted to be an artist after singing at a Christmas carol concert at the age of seven. Their aunt was a classically trained opera singer and at home would play Handel, Mozart and Bach alongside Marvin Gaye and the O'Jays. At school Nakhane played piano, studied classical trombone, played in a wind band and a steel band, and sang in a choir. As a teenager they were inspired by George Michael's music and unapologetic queerness, and was later influenced by Radiohead, Leonard Cohen, and South African acts such as TKZee, Brenda Fassie, Hugh Maskela and Thandiswa Mazwai. They worked part-time in a music shop, musically educating themself via the CDs they brought home.

At 19, their aunt bought them an acoustic guitar and they began writing songs, performing in open-mic clubs and eventually getting signed, calling themself Nakhane Touré in tribute to Malian musician Ali Farka Touré and as an ode to pan-Africanism. Their debut album, the acoustic guitar-driven Brave Confusion, released on 29 July 2013, was influenced by Ali Farka Touré and West African music. Lyrically, it explored race, religion and sexuality. In 2014, Nakhane won the Best Alternative Album award at the South African Music Awards. Although they had left the church, that night their pastor telephoned to tell them they were excommunicated.

Disillusioned with the folk scene's perceived authenticity, Nakhane began to gravitate towards a more electronic sound. In 2015, they had a club hit, "We Dance Again", with house DJ Black Coffee, then began writing their second album. Nearing their 30s and looking for closure, they wanted to end their 20s "on a positive note instead of an angry and bitter note", the new songs inspired by their childhood, their family, and their leaving the church. With a new sense of freedom and self-ownership, they dropped their stage surname Touré, viewing You Will Not Die as a rebirth. The album title was taken from Proverbs 23:13, referring to child discipline: 'If you punish them with the rod, they will not die.'