For someone raised in a family of 10, it’s understandable that Idols 2015 winner Karabo Mogane describes his mom and dad as paragons of love and care.
“I love how my parents brought me up and how they conducted themselves towards us,” says 25-year old from Nelspruit, Mpumalanga.
Growing up in a space where love was a dominant element helped me.”
It was that upbringing that inspired his R&B album, Matters of the Heart. After his successful first album, Love is a Verb - which was a mixture of various genres - Mogane now wants to explore this theme further.
The singer says he was more hands on with this new album. “Unlike the first album where many of the songs were prescribed to me, in this album my fans will get to hear me, (and) my thoughts."
This opportunity to steer his own lyrical content has accorded him room to mature as an artist, he says.
The 10-track album tackles various love topics, from personal love declarations with the song Sthandwa Sam’, to a musical conversation about heartbreak with songs like Ngiku’thandile.
Karabo encourages people to walk away from hurtful relationships in the song Something’s Gotta Give. It’s a conversation he deems important, given what is happening in our country.
Matters of the Heart, he says, was engineered to show what true love really means. “The entire message is that you are basically nothing without love. Love is one thing that accepts, that does not judge, it is not picky”.
His new work establishes him as an accomplished artist, away from the Idols’ title, but he still counts that as a blessing.
Karabo Mogane.Picture: Itumeleng English
“The journey has been incredible. Looking at that top 10, it was comprised of crazy, talented people with the likes of Amanda, Dineo, Matema etc.
“For me, winning that season, I really triumphed among such great vocalists - it was everything...Life has gotten really better,” he says.
This past Wednesday, the muso staged a listening session in Maboneng, giving a taste of what his live music sounds like.
Karabo’s musical journey dates back to his school days, when he won awards and titles such as choir boy of the year. He still dreams of a future beyond where he is. “I want to be the pioneer of R&B in this country... I want to influence R&B to a point where it becomes a prominent genre.