Music
Courtesy of Lady Zamar

In Conversation with Lady Zamar: "I'm still in the process of creating my best work."

The South African singer and songwriter talks about her new album 'Monarch', Africans embracing their royal lineage and finding strength in vulnerability.

Lady Zamar, born Yamikani Janet Banda, is one of the biggest singer-songwriters in South Africa's dance or house genre. The 2015 joint album Cotton Candy between her and fellow musician Junior Taurus, showed off her soulful vocals and lyrical skill for the first time. The duo's flawless melodies in songs such as Mamelodi, Run Away and Pitori had South African music lovers beside themselves.

Fast forward to 2017 and Lady Zamar released her first solo project, King Zamar which recently went double platinum. Last year, she took the award for Best Dance Album of the Year at the South African Music Awards (SAMAs) and also scooped up the Highest Airplay Song of the Year and Composers Highest Airplay awards this year. After successfully debuting as a solo artist, Lady Zamar recently dropped her sophomore album, Monarch.

She promised to lay her soul bare in this 20-track project and boy was she not playing. I'd even go out on a limb and say that in many ways, Monarch is to Lady Zamar what Lemonade was to Beyoncé—it's raw, vulnerable and bold. As Kendrick Lamar puts it in "Loyalty", she puts her "lyric and lifeline on the line".

We sat down with Lady Zamar to discuss her new album, the lessons the creative process behind it taught her and what she hopes listeners will take from it.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Your last album was entitled King Zamar, and this year's album is entitled Monarch. Would I be correct in picking up on the theme of royalty in your music?

The royalty theme, for me, is very integral to the human race, especially Black people. We come from a lineage of kings of queens and we don't take it seriously enough. We look at the entire world and how Americans, Europeans and Asians are celebrated but Africa is hardly ever celebrated for having good things. And yet, we are founders of almost everything that is good.

Looking at the fact that we were once rulers and kings, I want to reinstate that type of confidence in women and in people. There is no shame in being great. There is literally no shame in saying, "I am goodness, I am royal." I want young girls and young boys all over Africa to relate to that theme, and to not shy away from it.

Artists talk about how the final version of a body of work is somehow a step removed from what they initially envisioned. Would you that this body of work is exactly as you envisioned it?

I couldn't have envisioned it. I had an idea. I'm the type of person that allows things to take shape. For example, with King Zamar, the very first thing about it that comes off as disjointed, is that there was no time left to go through each and every song after the additional music had been added. I had to stick to the confines of the time limits that had been given to me by my label.

With Monarch, I think I have better executed that because I was well aware of the faults of the previous album. This time I was more meticulous, I was more present, and I allowed myself enough time.

In light of that, would you say that this is your best work thus far?

Never. I'm still in the process of creating my best work. I think this is a great step in the right direction, and this is exactly what I need right now to get to the next level. As I'm making music and as I'm living in this space, there's a lot I'm creating so there's no way that this is my best work. This is better work than before, yes, but it's not my best. One day, I will release a magnum opus album, and then that will be like, "Yes."

In terms of the reception from your fans, and you personally, where do you think this album is situated compared to your previous albums?

My previous bodies of work were very introductory and very conforming in certain aspects. Not in the individual songs, but in the presentation, in the fitting into the industry, very unassuming. With Monarch, I just wanted to go big on everything. I mean, the artwork itself, just that single photograph with that butterfly, has accumulated costs that equal to over 100k.

Courtesy of Lady Zamar

There's a risk around deciding to go so big and investing so much. Did you have any anxiety around this?

All the time. What are you talking about? I'm still anxious. And obviously I shouldn't be because from a biblical principle, you shouldn't be anxious. But this entire project, from the get-go, was draining. It took a lot. It needed me to focus because making a body of work that is this intentional needs your absolute undivided attention. In the life that we're living today, it's very hard to have undivided attention.

There were a lot of personal decisions I had to make regarding my life in order for me to execute this album properly. There's that and the anxiety never goes away because day by day, your fans are human beings that change and morph and so you're always on your toes like, "What's happening? Are they getting it still? Are they still understanding? Is this narrative relatable to them?" So the anxiety never really goes away.

You wrote "Destiny" a long time ago. What made you feel that this album, and this moment, was the right moment to include it in this body of work?

"Destiny" is a story about deep-seated loss, a loss that felt like without that loss, you would not have become the person that you are.

"When I'm much older, I'll put out a memoir and tell the story of "Destiny"."

I think the reason why people gravitate towards "Destiny" is because, in and among the lyrics and the beat, you feel that there's a deeper sense of something there. I decided on including it in this album because the people wanted it and I also got the right producers for it. Why not include it? It kind of helps the narrative as well.

You described "Be Mine" as one of your favorite tracks. Why is that?

I'm a bit naughty sometimes. Another artist made a song that I felt I could do better. So "Be Mine" was born from that. I heard this artist's song and I was like, "This is not nice." And that's where the song started. There's this person I met that I believed was my entire life—my be-all and end-all. I imagined we would grow old together.

The story kind of stemmed from there. Imagine how beautiful it would have been to be these two people that buy a car together and make a life out of this mess: Bonny and Clyde. But instead of ending up in heartbreak, they actually grow up, and they get married.

Monarch displays a tremendous sense of vulnerability. Did the level of vulnerability that you displayed in this particular work surprise even you?

Yes. I'm not one to open up to people who don't know me from a bar of soap. "Dangerous Love" was one of the most personal songs in terms of me putting an entire relationship in one song. I explain how I think. And I think the first verse is actually sarcasm. You know, like, "Maybe I need to calm, maybe my heart shouldn't beat then, maybe I wouldn't feel blood rush, aches in my body, my vein stream."

And then there's a song like "More and More" where, for the past couple of years, I've been trying to figure out what I want. And I've dated so many weird folks, and I've dated some hella hectic people that have derailed me in many ways from who I am. When I wrote that song I started crying in studio. And when I recorded it, it was so emotional, and when I got home, I listened to it again. I feel like crying right now as I speak. But I listened to it again, and I was like, "This is what I want." I want a love that lasts.

Courtesy of Lady Zamar

What would you say was particularly liberating about this entire creative process?

That I could even do it.

Did you doubt that you could?

Yes. I'm a human being. Doubt is part of our nature. In many ways, I doubted that I could make another album that would match or even surpass King Zamar. I thought, "Maybe it is beginners luck." I didn't know how to go back to making another King Zamar, but I also could not figure out how to make a Monarch. So when it was done, I remember I got sick for two months because my body was tired. I had been fighting this war. To a lot of people it's entertainment. To me, this is my life. You understand?

It was a really challenging project because I didn't know I could supersede myself. Being compared to every single woman in the industry that comes up. Every time there's a new woman who's doing that music, you've got to compare me to her. It's exhausting sometimes.

Listen to Monarch on Apple Music and Spotify.



News
GULSHAN KHAN/AFP via Getty Images

New Research Out of South Africa Brings Us Closer To Understanding Ancient Human Species

The remains left by “Homo Naledi” informs us of their use of burial grounds, tribal paintings, and more.

South African researchers continue their journey to discover the weird and wonderful ways human beings have developed over the last hundred thousand years. Their latest achievement is in the improved understanding of how the hominin “Homo Naledi” existed, thought, and behaved. Scientists have discovered that the ancient human species partook in burial practices, and created rock paintings and carvings -- acts previously believed to be above their level of intelligence.

“It’s a remarkable thing. My mind is blown,” said famed American-South African anthropologist Lee Berger and his team, who unearthed the artifacts and published the latest findings. Homo Naledi was first discovered in 2013, but our understanding of their behaviors has only scratched the surface. The new discoveries have shown evidence of behaviors humans only exhibited 100,000 years later, and the evidence left behind leads us to believe that they were incredibly intelligent - a major blimp to the idea that bigger brains make for smarter brains.

Keep reading...Show less
News
Photo Credit: Getty

South African Protests Breakout Over Uganda’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Law

South Africans swarmed the streets of Pretoria and Cape Town to protest Uganda’s recent LGBTQ ban.

A crowd of South Africans swarmed the streets of Pretoria and Cape Town to protest Uganda’s new controversial law concerning the LGBTQ+ community on Friday (March 31). During their protest on Friday, South African allies called on Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni, not to sign off on the law.

According to Reuters, there were about 100 at the demonstration at Pretoria, which took place outside the United Nations Information Centre. Papa De DeLovie Kwagala, one of the protesters on the scene, and Ugandan LGBTQ rights activist said:

"World leaders should put pressure on Museveni to not sign the bill because it's not only a Ugandan issue, it is an African continent issue."

South Africans protest Uganda's anti-LGBTQ lawwww.youtube.com

Earlier in March, Uganda lawmakers passed a law that would make it illegal for people to openly claim to be affiliated with the LGBTQ+ community. Although Uganda is one of the numerous African countries that have declared same-sex relationships illicit, it would be the first country to legally ban identifying as LGBTQ+.

If it is set in motion, Uganda’s new law will subject members of the LGBTQ+ to closer scrutiny, and life imprisonment. The East African country’s legislature will also target people who aid and abet homosexuality.

South Africa has had a long history of LGBTQ+ activism. In 1994, it became the first country in Africa—and the fifth in the world—to legalize same-sex marriage. In spite of its allyship, South African LGBTQ+ members also face discrimination and violence.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of protests by the LGBTQ+ community in South Africa. In 2021, members of the community spoke out about the increasing homophobic attacks that they were receiving.

Music Brief
Image - YouTube Video Screenshot

Tiwa Savage Gets Jiggy In the Video for New Single "Pick Up"

Tiwa Savage is here to remind you, "Don't let no one play games with your heart."

Nigerian singer-songwriter Tiwa Savageis setting her fans up for one heck of a summer. Hot off of the release of her rousing single "Stamina," featuring fellow Nigerian talents Young Jonn and Ayra Starr, the Queen of Afrobeats has given us the tools needed to deal with a potential lover with terrible phone etiquette. Savage released the funky video for her latest single "Pick Up" and her line, "Not gone let the devil kolobi my happiness" had us sold from the get-go. The singer has released a number of singles this year, as fans pray that it means a full project is on the cards for us. The idea of someone not picking up Tiwa Savage's call is mindblowing, but, experiences make for great music so we assume something must have inspired the latest track.

Keep reading...Show less
Arts + Culture
Photo courtesy Publicitygh.

AfroCuration is Bringing Untold Ghanaian Stories to Light

The two-day event, which consists of a Wikipedia edit-a-thon and linguistic workshop, is part of a greater push to share more local knowledge among young people on the continent.

The drive to share and document knowledge in the vernacular across the African continent has gathered momentum over the past couple of years, thanks to the growing WikiAfrica movement and AfroCuration events. After several iterations across Southern Africa, AfroCuration, which consists of a Wikipedia edit-a-thon and linguistic workshop, made its way to West Africa during the last weekend of May, adding Ghanaian indigenous languages into the mix.

Established in 2019 by the Moleskine Foundation and through the WikiAfrica Education program, AfroCuration seeks to encourage Africans to document their stories in their own local languages by adding entries into Wikipedia. “It started with this very genuine cultural and intellectual interest, and then it transformed over the years,” CEO of the Moleskine Foundation Adama Sanneh told OkayAfrica. “By bringing together the world of creativity and culture to the world of knowledge production, we created a program that is about inspiring young people from Africa to transition from passive knowledge consumers into active knowledge producers.”

Since its inception, AfroCuration has held events in Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, in partnership with various culturally influential organizations. For its first event in Ghana, AfroCuration partnered with nonprofit independent internet radio station, Oroko Radio, and the Twi User Language Group, to produce content on African authors. “Oroko Radio is about empowering through conversation, collaboration, and community,” says co-founder Kikelomo Oludemi. “One of our key objectives is reclaiming and recentering narratives from the African diaspora artist communities.”

For Oludemi, taking part in this year’s event aligned closely with Oroko Radio’s ethos. “I think for us it was the realization that the people who tell the stories are the ones who dictate the narrative and that ultimately shapes the world moving forward,” she says.

An image of attendees of this year\u2019s AfroCuration with their arms up in the air, smiling as they take a group photo.This year’s AfroCuration took place for the first time in Ghana, with attendees gathering in Kumasi.Photo courtesy Publicitygh.

Held in Kumasi, three hours away from the capital city of Accra, this year’s AfroCuration brought together a vibrant group of people. Known for its rich musical history, and proximity to Ghana’s famous Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi was chosen as the venue for this event because of its youth culture, and the proximity of the Twi User Language Group, who aim to train and empower native speakers in preserving and telling their stories in local languages.

Jemima Antwi, a representative from the Twi User Language believes events such as this are pivotal to the development of local and continental culture. “AfroCuration would be very impactful to the community because people have the opportunity to be history-makers or part of the historical dispositions by contributing content about their great ancestors who have paved the way for the development of African cultural diversity,” she says. “It also increase[s] the richness of Ghanaian history and Africa as a whole because this event has created more knowledge about both our deceased and living legends.”

At the event, locals donned a mixture of local attire and business casual dress, but the singular characteristic across participants and attendees was a shared enthusiasm for knowledge about Ghanaian culture and history, and documenting that knowledge in local languages. “There is so much that I can take from my West African side that is almost inconceivable in the Western world,” Sanneh says. “If that type of experience, or that type of language is not preserved, then we will be entrapped into Western culture.”

A sprint of knowledge-gathering

Day two of AfroCuration was the most intense. Attendees were divided into groups based on language: namely, Gurune, Twi, Bagbani, Ewe, and Moore. The session featured three sprints of one-hour-long edit-a-thons split between forty-five-minute-long breaks, culminating in a culturally reflective commune with the attendees on the theme of “Who We Are.”

The program’s theme, “Who We Are” stems off the text by South African author, Lwando Xaso, but the intrinsic objective of AfroCuration’s debut event in Ghana which was held physically and streamed online was archiving information about culturally-relevant authors. The programme's eventual goal goes beyond knowledge activism, but rather molding the critical thinking of young people across Africa.

“We believe having access to such information in your local language can reshape your thinking, and your imagination,” says Sanneh. “The capacity to imagine the future in a different way; the capacity to conceptualize reality in a different gaze. The idea is about collective knowledge that ignites a dynamic relationship with language, culture and experiences, and through that dynamic exchange, then you can ignite creativity.” As Sanneh explains, the greater objective of AfroCuration is archiving information about Africa in order to spark new creativity.

Two attendees of this year\u2019s AfroCuration event, which incorporated the language groups of Gurune, Twi, Bagbani, Ewe and Moore.Two attendees of this year’s AfroCuration event, which incorporated the language groups of Gurune, Twi, Bagbani, Ewe and Moore.Photo courtesy Publicitygh.

The importance of an event like AfroCuration cannot be overemphasized. Not only does it flatten the knowledge gap, and celebrate African culture and heritage, it also provides young people with hard skills such as referencing and editing, and provides real-time data about knowledge-seekers.

The final day of AfroCuration proved to be the most laid back. Between thirty-minute breaks, the editing groups presented their work, which centered around creating Wikipedia articles on cultural authors in local languages. Prizes were awarded to the groups, based on the highest number of correctly-formatted articles created.

For community-powered organizations like Oroko Radio, AfroCuration is crucial in building community and most importantly, providing spaces for Africans to redress historically incorrect stories and preserve locally poignant stories. As Oludemi says, “The most important thing people can take from this event is that there [are] always stories to be told, and we have to be the ones to tell them.”

get okayafrica in your inbox

news.

Asake Will Headline A North American Tour This Summer

The blossoming Nigerian talent will be bringing his sold out show to American fans this summer.

Three Takeaways From Burna Boy’s 'Love, Damini' Tour Wardrobe So Far

Wearing back-to-back Robert Wun from Paris La Dèfense to the London Stadium, the Afrofusion superstar has never looked this stylish.

Meet Andre Vibez, the Producer Behind Rema's 'Calm Down'

We caught up with the Nigerian producer who’s been cranking out record-breaking hits on the story behind Rema’s "Calm Down" and more.

Photo Series: Inside Nigeria’s Egungun Festival​

Rooted in the Yoruba word for masquerade, the centuries-old festival honors ancestors, with a striking display of costumes and masks.

popular.

Burna Boy is the First African Artist to Sell Out London Stadium

The Nigerian superstar became the first African artist to sell out London’s 80,000-capacity stadium, during his June 3rd performance. The U.S. is next, where he'll be the first African artist to headline a stadium, at New York's Citi Field.