Johannesburg - Zoë Modiga’s music is proudly African and that is what she is leading with when it comes to her music sessions.
“I have definitely been lucky enough to still do my own shows. It has really been such a devastating time for everyone and especially the entertainment and music industry because we are in the business of putting people together. I have a series called An Intimate Story with Zoë Modiga and Banda Banda and that is one of the things I have kept myself occupied with and it has helped me to stay in the mix. I have been able to share music with people and be entertained by that.”
The series was founded together with Banda Banda, an artist and music producer, and the two have toured major cities performing at sold-out shows.
“I think it is really just beautiful because it is an intimate story relating to our music but it is in such a sense that people relate to the music as well as the stories behind them. It’s not just performing on stage with lights and costume changes. It’s really getting into the stories that we are telling. Our music is both proudly African and that’s what we lead with,” said Modiga.
The songbird said the series explored the modern meaning and the modern world of being a young African and what that looks like.
“It has been beautiful to have that celebrated and be a part of creating that culture of thought and performance. It has been a freeing space, not a space where people walk into a performance venue and have to have a certain decorum about them. With us, you can dance, nod your head at the back of the room, or even not watch the performance but be a part of it in many ways. That’s one thing we have been able to help facilitate for people – that they can find themselves. Even though they paid the ticket to be audience members, they are part of what that experience is as well,” she said.
Modiga has been busy with a few things lately, including a collaboration with Leather Zulu, a black female-owned company that does all kinds of leather bags, gifts and accessories.
“I thought it would tie well to Inganekwane (album) whose emblem is a cow. The cow is a symbol of wealth, clothing, who we are as a people and our traditions. I thought it would be great to have an Inganekwane bag collaboration with them.”
There’s another project that Modiga is working on with artist platform Platoon, where she will be doing a series of songs.
Modiga is also the last headline act of the three-concert Bassline series taking place at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City. Ami Faku and Msaki headlined concerts in the last two weeks.
“Being part of the Bassline line-up alongside Zu, who is an incredible singer as well, I think it is going to be a really beautiful performance. I think the Bassline team has come up with a beautiful idea for women. Headlining these shows with Ami Faku, Msaki and myself speaks to a new lineage of powerful women. We have always had a beautiful lineage of powerful women in South Africa. The likes of Lira, Thandiswa Mazwai, Simphiwe Dana and now it is like they are passing the baton to us to continue those stories,” she said.
Modiga said she was excited about the symbolic meaning of the event.
“We have something to share as the younger female singers. I think my audiences can anticipate what I always hope to offer, creating a world where we can escape and exist and make beautiful music.
“It really has been an interesting and humbling year for us but
I think we have been trying to find creative, earnest ways of still being able to express ourselves and hopefully make it mean something to others as well,” said Modiga.
The Star