Qhawe lamaqhawe
The week Mam’Winnie passed away was a heavy one. Before, Thandiswa Mazwai had put on her all womxn show and performed Nizalwa Ngobani. You’ll know there’s a part where she sings Madikizela (and Sobuke, Biko, Mandela etc) with the qhawe lamaqhawe backing in between. Somehow, everyone only associates this part and the heroism sung about […]
On: Marcus Wyatt
Veteran musician Marcus Wyatt speaks to Helen Herimbi about collaboration and creating You know the saying: You can chew gum and cross the street at the same time. I’m not sure how easy it is to play the trumpet with gum in your mouth, but armed with his horn, Marcus Wyatt can make magic and […]
On: Ycee
On a tiring trip to South Africa, Nigerian star, Ycee, catches up with Helen Herimbi Ycee is a trooper. The only sleep this Nigerian rapper has had since arriving in Joburg is during the drive to this interview. He attempts to smile through his yawn and he tells me he’s fine. His mojito is placed […]
On: LeAnne
With a stellar but slept-on album under her belt, LeAnne Dlamini continues to enjoy every waking moment, writes Helen Herimbi It’s a tiny nod to Kendrick Lamar. It’s also a part of her T-shirt line. But when a fresh-faced LeAnne Dlamini takes a seat in the booth opposite me, scrawled across the front of her […]
On: DJ Lag
Before DJ Lag brings gqom to this year’s MTN Bushfire Festival, Helen Herimbi caught up with the producer/DJ DJ Lag is in the middle of the second part of his world tour. He’s already been to Russia, China, France, South Korea and, last week, he treated his home turf to sets in Johannesburg and Cape […]
On: BK
I’m running – okay, maybe it was a light skip – down a Sony Music corridor so that I don’t miss the performance when I hear someone call my name. I turn around and it’s the MC-singer-producer of the hour, BK. The artist, real name Bokamoso Gumbi, looks so different to the last time I […]
On: Arsenic
Ahead of the release of ‘Hidden Formulas Vol 5: Project Indigo’, producer Arsenic speaks to Helen Herimbi Arsenic is exactly where I expect to find him: in the studio. He sits in a low chair and a mic stand, computers, monitors and other sound paraphernalia envelope him. Like a music hug. Ahead of the Cape […]
On: Masego
Before a private show in Jozi, American traphousejazz artist, Masego talks to Helen Herimbi A gilded saxophone hangs from a chain and rests on his chest. Fresh off a highly anticipated performance at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival – and before treating Joburgers to a private show – Masego is basking in his shine. […]
On: Corinne Bailey Rae
Cape Town International Jazz Festival headliner, Corinne Bailey Rae, speaks to Helen Herimbi about writing grown-up love songs A few days after her 39th birthday, Corinne Bailey Rae hops onto the phone to tell me how she celebrated. “I went out on Sunday actually with a really big group of friends,” she shares. “We went […]
On: Bra Herbie Tsoaeli
Ahead of Voice’s performance at The 4th Movement, Helen Herimbi talks to band member Herbie Tsoaeli Bra Herbie, as veteran jazz musician, Herbie Tsoaeli is affectionately called, also answers to another name: uMalume. This is also the name of a popular song from the bassist’s debut solo album, African Time, which was released in 2012. […]