Lulu Dikana
December 18, 1978 – December 3, 2014
WITH some artists, it is such fun bumping into them. With others, it’s a tad tedious and politically correct. With Lulu Dikana it was always beautiful and gentle.
She and I had a knack of bumping into each at unexpected times and each time it was special. Mostly it was when she was with her sister, Zonke, whom she described in her last interview with me as “my wonderful sister”. The two were inseparable, first being signed to Kalawa Jazmee and then moving to Native Rhythms before signing to Sony.
Lulu had a patient spirit with an aura that was calm, but at the same time sparkled. She expressed herself in a measured and genuine manner. She was a good person who was driven by her love for God.
In that last interview she confessed that she knew there were dark forces out there, forces that were meant to cross her path. This was when I asked her why life had made it so difficult for her to record, first through a hole in her oesophagus before recording her first album, My Diary, My Thoughts. Then, when she was working on pre- production for her last album, I Came to Love, her older sister, Busisiwe, passed away.
Her response was: “There are so many forces out there. With this music, it’s my way of getting to the people and when I do I have something to say. My faith has always been very strong – stronger than my problems. At the same time, I am not unaware that there are forces out there.”
That God had a plan for her, she had no doubt. On her last album she expressed her realisation as to why she was put on Earth. The album is a love letter to God. It is also a haven of inspiration and comfort for many who have lost their way.
Then there was her voice which reached the heavens. Her talent was immeasurable and her desire to stick to her preferred sound, no matter what the market dictated, was admirable. She was an Afro-soul singer who could have broken internationally. But that was not meant to be. Just like Lebo Mathosa, who was on the verge of making it internationally, her time came too quickly.
At that last interview, Lulu was happy with her life. She was set to open for her idol, John Legend. She’d released an album which celebrated who and where she was spiritually. She was excited to be on the tip of something really big in her life. And she realised her purpose on this planet – which was to love.