Zoe Modiga is a Johannesburg based, independent songstress who has been performing since 2005. In 2016, she took the step to officially become a recording artist. Through her journey in the music industry she has found her voice and defines herself as ‘a person fascinated by the human experience’. This has allowed her the platform to express her opinions and awarded her an audience to inspire. Although music is her passion, her journey in the industry has not been without struggle, but through it all a noteworthy brand has flourished.
Zoe is an embodiment of self-expression and we get to connect with that part of her through her art. In her debut album ‘Yellow – The novel’ – released in 2017, she took us through a road of self-realization and discovery. One of her singles from the album expressed the experience of heartbreak through a Zulu ‘fairytale’. The response that this song received inspired her to explore writing and producing more content in her home language which is the direction of her new album ‘Inganekwane’, to be released on the 26th June 2020. “I am moved by artists from all over the continent” she expressed. It is a belief of hers that “music transcends language” as she explains how music can be felt and understood beyond language barriers. However, a particular theme of her art stands out- the celebration of black people as a unit.
From ‘Inganekwane’ the single titled ‘Lengoma’ (This Song) is featured.
“The intent behind this is for us (as black people) to meditate on this song and allow it to resonate within us that this is our song, our healing and to know that we are deserving of anything and everything that is meaningful to us” she states.
Since its release, the song has been received well by audiences. Zoe notes, “I got to work with a beautiful male singer – Tubatse Mpho Moloi, from the South African band ‘Urban Village’ and it was beautiful to introduce people to a sound that they hadn’t heard from me before” when asked about the highlights of making this album. According to her this sound is inspired by western African bands; and it is signified in part by a collaboration with Senegalese percussionists and South African musicians merging these influences into one beautiful sound.
One peculiar aspect of Zoe’s brand is her look and overall visual representation of herself. She believes it stems from all the people she has looked up to musically since childhood, “they fully embodied their creative expression and fed all the senses. They paint a full picture through performance, as opposed to just creating good music.” Any successful brand will note how important it is to correctly and adequately present yourself to the public and Zoe is no different. “Attention to detail, from your music all the way to your look, must be taken seriously as a musician or art practitioner because people listen with their ears, emotions, minds and their eyes” she states, “the music comes first, but the visual experience is just as exciting”. For her previous album, she recalls how committed she was to wearing yellow as it was symbolically relevant to the message she was delivering. This album (Inganekwane) contains a visual experience through the expression of the cow. This is because of the symbolic significance of the cow in African practices. “Cattle are wealth, having them denotes of having land, food, affluence. They are also used for sacred cultural practices, such as lobola,” she explains.
As the type of musician that allows her music to lead her, essentially following her voice, she is propelled by how she feels her music is instructing her to look, and what it wants her to communicate. The undertones of this connection to the music can be experienced through listening to some of her songs. There are some strong spiritual undertones within her music. Zoe states that the belief systems of black people tend to be a touchy subject because ‘we are very spiritual as a people, but our spirituality is sometimes used against us and because we believe so devoutly, it can be challenging to unlock what it all really means to us’. However, she believes that ultimately music is spiritual and her second single from her upcoming album is actually titled ‘Umdali’ (the creator) and it talks about how we are created in the image of a ‘great being’. The people before us were created possessing purposes and messages to carry out within the world, to make us better people, lift our morale, teach etc.… this song is simply a reminder that we are needed to continue to fulfill these purposes and tasks that our ancestors may have left unfinished.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA6AJ04DqD5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
On that note an emotional Zoe had some words to share about the Black Lives Matter movement sparked by the chain of events linked to police brutality towards black people, particularly in the States. She said, “It is heart-breaking and emotional for me to think about. Being a black person in this world is such a troubling experience, honestly, in the entire world. Black bodies are continuously put in horrible positions. It is bad enough we have to learn to love ourselves and each other again, now at the same time, we have to convince the world that we matter. What’s strange is that there art practitioners from way before our time who were addressing the same situations and having the same type of conversations and it is very disappointing that this is still relevant today. I can never get used to black people dying senselessly, it is time for the movement to go beyond the hashtags and steer towards actual systematic change”.
‘Inganekwane’ is a love letter to people of colour and Zoe Modiga stands in solidarity with her people and sends love throughout the nation through her voice.