Durban-born jazz singer-songwriter Zoë Modiga hopes to use her music tour to thank her audience and, more importantly, remind them of who they are and what they stand for.
Having started touring in East London last month, Modiga, who hails from Imbali township in Pietermaritzburg, will be wrapping up her “Cos Cos Tour” at The Chairman in Durban on September 1 and 2, at 8pm, before heading to The Lyric Theatre in Johannesburg on September 8 and ending things off at The Star Theatre in Cape Town on October 20.
Speaking with the “Sunday Tribune” , the singer, who was born Palesa Nomthandazo Phumelele Modiga, said she was looking forward to coming to Durban and blessing her music lovers with hit songs from her first two albums – “Yellow: The Novel”, released in 2017, and “Inganekwane”, which was released during the thick of lockdown in 2020.
“In 2020, we released our beloved Zulu fairy tale, a love letter to black bodies all around the world. Our sophomore album ‘Inganekwane’ has made us create so many beautiful memories, celebrating identity, heritage and our sense of self.
“When we say ‘cos cos’ at the end of a fairy tale, it is the end of a chapter and so, bid farewell to this era and usher a new chapter in. This is a thank you to all the music lovers and an introduction to the new,” said Modiga.
“I am very excited to celebrate the past three years of ‘Inganekwane’. I will bring the house down with the music lovers and make memories for a lifetime. I can’t wait for our people to be laughing, dancing, singing, crying and closing this chapter with us, more especially because I never got to share my music with people at home,” she explained.
Modiga, an independent artist who released her music through her label Yelloewax, said although she would not want to reveal much about her show, she assured that she will bless her audiences with some of her hit songs, such as “Umdali”, “Isegazini”, “Abantu” and “Intsha”.
“More than anything, this is just me expressing my gratitude to my music lovers who always stood with me through thick and thin, and to give them a sense of what they can expect from my music going forward as I set to release my third studio album next year. This will be an unforgettable music experience,” she said.
As a lively, transcendent performer with a background in classical and jazz training, Modiga is known to enchant audiences into another world while having an evocative individualism in fashion and imagery, and will be putting her show together with a team of four members: a bassist, pianist, drummer and sound engineer.
Among other things, she has been honoured with the SAMRO Overseas Scholarship Competition (2015) and awards such as the Mbokodo Award for Music (2019), Mzantsi Jazz Awards for Best Jazz Contemporary Album, Best Newcomer in Jazz and Best Jazz Song (2018) and Dopest Album Cover of 2020 by African Design League.
Modiga has collaborated with some of the worlds finest musicians, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Johnny Clegg, Abigail Kubeka, Thandiswa Mazwai, Simphiwe Dana, Madala Kunene, Louis Moholo, Tsepo Tshola, Wynton Marsalis and many more.
Tickets for the “Cos Cos Tour” are available at Quicket from R350 to R450.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE