SOUTH African award-winning singer, Toya Delazy, has revolutionised the theme song to Cartoon Network’s The Powerpuff Girls.
The series, which has been running for six seasons, has been nominated for six Emmy Awards, nine Annie Awards and a Kids’ Choice Award.
Set in the fictional animated world of Townsville, which comprises many skyscrapers akin to a developed US city, The Powerpuff Girls comprises three heroines: Blossom (in pink), Bubbles (blue) and Buttercup (green). Blessed with superpowers, the trio are often called upon to save their town from villains and unfathomable monsters. Along the way, they also deal with the growing pains of sibling rivalry, personal hygiene and letting go of that security blanket. The creators have also imbued the cartoon with pop culture.
However, the channel decided on a reboot. After all, times have changed and the animated world needed to be transformed for its target audience, who are now more knowledgeable and tech savvy.
Delazy has been called upon to help with the face-lift. Chatting to Tonight after a long day of back-to-back media interviews about her doing the theme song to The Powerpuff Girls, she laughs: “It’s been quite epic!”
On being approached by the network, she says: “Um, I guess it’s the fun in my sound. The brand being colourful. I don’t have a definite answer for that. But I’m just glad they chose me. I feel like my brand and The Powerpuff Girls are quite compatible. And it ended up working for the best.”
Of course, fans, especially on home soil, who are familiar with her songs like Pump It On, Love Is in the Air and Are You Gonna Stay?, immediately appreciate what she means by that.
What many don’t know, though, is that when she was younger, she used to be a mega-fan of the series.
The 26-year-old shares: “It was exciting to revisit that childhood cartoon.”
So what can viewers expect from the much-talked about theme song?
She says: “Okay, basically from the beats I decided to make it a mix of rock and soft melodies. I wanted it to stay true to The Powerpuff Girls because they are quite eclectic, like myself; like one is quite the rock star whereas Bubbles is really soft. I really wanted to stay true to the narrative.
“You really have to hear the song because if I chat about it, there is going to be a whole lot of jargon. But once you do, it will make a whole lot of sense. I can tell you it’s explosive and fun. And it’s about girl power!”
As for whether she watched any new episodes to get a sense of the change, she says: “I’ve always loved The Powerpuff Girls. I didn’t have to watch much as I had a lot of stored-up memory.”
While dismissing the idea that its daunting lending her voice to such a prestigious series, she admits: “It’s more of an honour. There’s a lot of work that goes into it, from the production to singing. Initially, I was like, ‘how am I going to do it?, Deep down, you just hope you do it justice.”
The reimagined The Powerpuff Girls debuts on Cartoon Network (DStv channel 301) on April 30 at 9.55am.