Women Singers

"I believe everyone has a voice and should always find courage to use it even when it’s not popular to do so. Every voice matters. Everyone has got a story to tell"

"I would camp at Big Zulu's studio, so whenever he came to his studio we would all run away because I believe we were not allowed to be there. So we would camp there and make music. It was a lot of us in studio, until this one time I decided that I'm not gonna go when others were leaving, I'm gonna stay and see how this thing works"

"I’ve learned that although there is no separation between myself as an artist and myself as a human, I value the ability to continue living my life outside of the limelight which allows me to still be able to be authentic in my artistry"

"A love for the people, a love for country, and a love for justice. They form the basis for what the production is about using audio visual elements to stimulate imagination and explore history while moulding a new world."

"We are in the system, and it's rigged. Better we get to know it if we are to survive, break out and thrive, at this moment its near impossible to live outside it. So we need to equip ourselves with the knowledge that will allow us to have more than a fighting chance"

"It was hard because when I came to Joburg I did not have a place to stay so I had to squat at the studio to record and make music until I found someone who gave me the opportunity. There were many challenges because of that but fast forward, things ended up good after I recorded uMuzi eSandton"

"I ditched my family because they didn't want me to do music. They wanted me to finish school. So I left and came to Joburg. At that time there was something that was pushing me and that was 'the world needs this and the world needs a message that you are coming with'. Because I believe that every time I sing a song, it has a message"

"The music is about falling in love with self, honouring yourself by self-acceptance. The theme and message is spiritual reconnection and trusting herself with her music"

"I struggled a lot with the separation because the industry calls for you to separate yourself from who you are and the art"

"I found myself in that dilemma of separating myself from Amanda Black and Amanda who are in essence me, they are one and there is no difference between them"

"From My Soil to Yours has a lot to do with acceptance of myself — all the versions of me till now — and also opening up the space for versions that are yet to come and understanding that, as a human being, I am ever changing because, at some point, we think that this self-love and self-journey has a stop, whereas it does not"

"I have a lot of band configurations. I have a jazz band. I have the band I have been playing with for 20 years"

"Whether its good or bad. Whether it influences others in a good or bad way. I was told by something at the back of my head that I need to go and work on my goals, go and find what you want to do, its possible. I was driven by the passion that I had."

"I’ve realised my need to talk, I’ve realised my power to talk. I only attributed it to the music for a while and allowed people to tell me it’s only in the music. Now, as I am unfolding, I’m finding my voice to speak for people who can’t speak for themselves, to speak out about things that are affecting me. I am black and I am a citizen of South Africa, that on its own is something to speak out on ... It's because I have found me again, I found my voice again and I am here to use it"

"You don’t talk about how you become OK and how you went through it, and this is what this album is about ... I ignored my emotional, psychological because I was in the battle ... and I neglected me."

"I am lucky to have an audio diary that I literally go back to before I start a new project, and I listen to Amazulu, I listen to Power and I listen to Mnyama and it gets me to understand quite a lot"

"I had the time of my life doing this, it was like being a kid the whole time"

"Money draws people in and takes away agency"

"Because we need to keep this winning streak going,we can't let it be another 20 years before another woman wins"

"Soul music is memories, it’s everyday life, it’s easy to consume. I think it’s that the soul, the spirit, resides in Africa so soul music here could also mean the beating of a drum because that’s how we invoke our soul."

"I went through a break-up, and all my plans were in the trash. I kind of just shut down and I remember that there were so many things happening all at once ... I went through a mental block for two-to-three months, and I was at home ... it made me reconnect with myself."

"It's not the award that means so much to me;it's the fact that I was the first woman in 20 years to win the award after Brenda Fassie"

"I have a sort of thought process I go through. And what I normally do with my accompanist is that we will talk through the whole show beforehand. You go through every song and we say, oe be careful of that part, and that part and remember to do that there and so on. You get all those things out of the way and it’s filed in your brain, so by the time you walk on stage you actually do it for the second time"

"The processes are different for every album. Nothing is ever deliberate. Making art for me is one step in front of the next. You don’t begin with a full art work, you begin with one stroke and then you go. And you ask what else can I do until it’s a full picture."

"The hardest scene to do in the movie was when I had to swim across the Orange River about 5 times, then run up a hill of beach sand at speed, get to the top, and then do a really emotional scene"

"[A] few years as a struggling artist in Mahikeng and seeing people that are half talented being given a chance and messing it up while I was overlooked or being boxed in as just a female wannabe rapper. That is painful beyond words. Thank God I never even thought of giving up, not even for a day"

"Going through the break-up within the lockdown, I was actually seeing what had actually happened, I had time to think about it and ask myself questions. I couldn’t really run away from myself any more, there was nothing to distract me ... Even being home, it reminded me of myself"

"I wanna eventually buy my parents their dream home and make sure they don’t need to work another day in their life."

"I remember I was not able to express to people in the house that I don’t feel like getting up from bed, and not being able to give that a name, I just went through this darkness that I couldn’t explain"

"And after that I always tried to do that with every show and every album, there are no throw-away songs and they must all stand strong"

"Terribly! Yes, yes, yes, and also, it’s quite important for me to be nervous, because if I’m not then it feels like it doesn’t matter enough"

"Study the craft of acting, at a reputable institution, first of all. This business means you need to work at your craft, long hours, preparation, professionalism, dedication is what is needed."

"I want my kids on TV” and I said you know what, wait for them to grow up, there’s enough time for them to be on television but get them some training as well and I know that it’s not always affordable for everyone; that’s always a major hassle but there are programmes where…I know that there’s the Market Theatre lab, that I mean there is a fee involved, but I do believe that they give…and go to free courses, go and learn something. Watch Videos, watch movies, watch people perform and learn. Keep learning and don’t think you know, don’t let your ego get in the way of what this job really is. It’s also just a job, you know, a job we’re passionate about, but it’s a job, be professional and work hard"

"I am not thinking of a cut-off point yet"

"I feel that with this journey and just relating to the album ... I felt an awakening, I think I reminded myself of who I am ... ever since I started waking up understanding my blackness and my place in the world ... It started then opening my voice again. It shows on social media now"

"Firstly, I am showing that it's possible to every poor, unappreciated and broken young girl out there in our country. It's possible to dream and chase after your dreams, it's possible to be heard, it's possible to achieve and break the mould and be something"

"The higher you go, the more things you have to battle with, the fact that you have to be better than the last, nothing prepares you for that but it has been an amazing journey"

"I've turned out offers before because I know that you're paying others way more I am aware that you're paying others way more whatever it is"

"I think it's funny when people say that ‘because you are a woman is easier for you in the industry"

"I always knew that I would be great but I think I didn’t know how tough it would be. Nothing ever prepares you for how tough the journey gets, it’s like a new level, a new devil"

"No, it's actually tougher when you're a woman. How many people want to sleep with a man before they help him"

"By the end of the war in 1991, the lives of Eritrean women had changed so much they were determined not to go back to their traditional old roles."

"I think I have been around long enough to know that I need to ignore a lot of things. So I have learnt to ignore a lot of things. Either I’m cracking jokes about them or I’m ignoring them"

"It was very difficult for them; even wearing trousers was strange and they were shocked when they had to share a blanket or bed with the men."

"Largely, because, corporate Ghana is highly affected, and when corporate Ghana is affected, it affects sponsorships, it affects the fact that comedians cannot walk into corporate organizations and seek sponsorships and just get it like that."

"I experienced a mixture of feelings. Like all the Alliance Lepep candidates, I was shocked, dismayed, sad, dejected... especially since a few days before the elections, we thought we were heading for a great victory. The people chose, they are the ones who decide, we can only respect that choice. What happened was also God's will. What saddened me most during this election period was the fact that I wasn't a candidate in constituency No. 14, to which I am still very attached, and where I have forged ties with the residents. Even at the start, I didn't even have a ticket. It was a relatively difficult time for me. But that's politics, and we were in a strategic configuration. Finally, I landed in constituency No. 17 (Editor's note: Curepipe/Midlands), but I still have good memories of it."

"A haven woven with warm colors A woolen place to rest your head And a light comes in Forms and binds you To mold and carry you this long way to go"

"I'm taking a moment to digress. I won't say I've distanced myself from politics... I'm not writing it off. Just as I didn't write it off when I joined the MSM. I'm simply giving myself five years to move on. When you've been in politics, you continue to follow what's happening there. I pay close attention, for example, to parliamentary proceedings."

"My biggest project is to sing in small venues to be close to my fans."

"It is by forgiving that we heal."