LIFE AND DEATH



LIVE PERFORMANCE BY"LULU" LIFE AND DEATH


 An encounter with Lulu will etch in your memory of her a tall, imposing and enchanting presence filled with a free spirited existence and assertiveness. Spend a little time listening to her music you will grasp her inspired existence. Born in Port Elizabeth, she has a rich heritage of music blood in her family, her late father was a drummer and her sister, Zonke is one of South Africa’s loved songstresses. Her travails in the music scene are well documented, from the time she released her first work ‘My diary, my thoughts’ arguably one of the finest works in the world of soul music. Critics will agree that any soul music lover just has to have the first single of the album “Life and death’ in their top 10 tracks of all time. Yet due to her travails and other factors the song and album remain relatively obscured. This irrepressible singer with a gruff and yet smooth voice that is distinctively Lulu, is back with her second offering thoughtfully entitled ‘This is the life’, sharing the source of her immense inspiration. Listen and you will be lifted. Lulu proclaims that in ‘This is the life’ her essence is captured in both lyrical content and sound. Ask her how she describes her music and she instantly answers “old school soul”, and ask her what her belief is and she assertively answers “born again”. When it comes to purity in soul music no one comes closer to touching distance than Lulu, she takes you back to the heartland of soul music, and even further to its roots: gospel. Soul, as is widely accepted, is an infusion of gospel, rhythm and blues with secular lyrics. Lulu takes it to the very beginning yet remaining modern in her delivery. If you tend to have a déjà vu of the Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and Gladys Knight era while your soul is immersed in this one, perhaps it’s because those are her influences.

ZAHARA'S LIVE DVD

ZAHARA WITH HER GUITAR

Only a few months after signing a recording deal with TS, the sensational singer Zahara hasn’t looked back and continue to make it big in the music industry. Her album sold out in only 72 hours, leaving the public stunned. Zahara has big plans for 2012 that includes recording a live DVD for the album “Loliwe”, which is getting a lot of airplay around the country. Plans are underway and fans can expect a great memorable show at her recording. Meanwhile, reports state that the bubbly Zahara wants to perform in Swaziland as she has never been in the country. She was supposed to perform last year, but she never made it due to cultural boycott. However, Swaziland plans to have Zahara perform there early this year.  Zahara has cemented her place in the entertainment industry, not only in South Africa but across the borders as well as can be proven in her sold-out February shows in Harare. In celebration of her burgeoning career, Zahara is set to perform a show at Carnival City that will be recorded and released as the singer's first live DVD. The tickets for the show will be sold through Computicket and Shoprite, with ticket prices ranging between R180 and R250. The show, which is set to be recorded on 8 and 9 June, will be released as Zahara’s first live DVD. With a name that translates to 'shining' and 'flower', Zahara has been the epitome of both translations since the spring of 2011 when her début album, Loliwe, was released. The singer, who is signed to TS Records and licensed to EMI Music/CCP Records, blossomed as her album went double platinum after 17 days and has since sold over 300 000 copies. At the recent 18th South African Music Awards, her album won in the Best Smooth Urban Music Album; Special Award: Best Selling Album and Album of the Year categories. She also won in the categories for: Newcomer of the Year; Female Artist of the Year and Best Collaboration for her song, 'Incwad’Encane', which features Georgy. Let’s hope that the live DVD will also make sales like her album.

TALENT BEING EXPLOITED



ZAHARA AND THE TS BOSSES

Early Last week in the news we read about the local music sensation being exploited by the recording label TS records; this was reported in the news by Zahara’s sisters in the papers.  They told the papers how the TS bosses TK Nciza and Sbu Leope well known as dj Sbu have used their sister for personal gain. In an interview with the Sunday World newspaper, Zahara’s sisters’ accused TS Records of treating their sibling “with disdain.” According to the paper, Zahara’s family, especially her siblings Nomonde and Mbangedwa, are aggrieved by what they perceive as broken promises on the part of the label. Zahara’s siblings said their sister does not have control of her own money, and is being forced to live with Nciza, where she is “treated like a servant”. This, claim the siblings after she was promised a home of her own. They said that Zahara is sometimes so desperate for money, that she takes a loan from her 55-year-old mother just to buy airtime But Zahara was quick to refute the allegations on Twitter. She said that Paper may write whatever they want but she knows that she has been a great kid in my family and TS too has been good to her and her family. The singer added: “I know where I come from and never forget my parents I still love my family whoever is trying to turn them against me it won’t work.  Zahara took the opportunity, while on national radio station Umhlobo Wenene FM’s breakfast show on Tuesday the 17th, to further reassure her fans that she is not being misused by her label. “Everything is fine and the Nciza’s are treating me very well”. I am taking my time about things and will buy everything I need to buy when I am ready,” she said. The sad thing is that we have heard a lot of stories about the recording and it’s hard to defend them in situations like these, the media tried interviewing the TS records bosses but they didn’t want to comment on the issue.  A well-known hip hop artist Pro kid also left the recording label because of the same allegations of exploitation of artists by this recording company. This really questions the TS recording company.

MUSIC ON MTN SAMA 18 NOMINEES' CDs

 Every year, the MTN South African music awards boast such a dazzling constellation of stars that this year two double CDs are being released, featuring a comprehensive selection of super hot cuts by MTN SAMA 18 nominees.
The official MTN SAMA 18nominees CDs are on sale now at major music outlets nationwide. distributed by Gallo Records Company
The two double CD sets which boast a combined 77 tracks are being sold separately, but lovers of South African music would be well advised to pick up both to gain access to the full spectrum of the sensational sounds that rocked the local airwaves during 2011. Each double disc set of covers a number of genres. The first one, with a cool 41 tracks, featuring street urban sounds, as well as kwaito, jazz, African adult contemporary, faith based music, maskandi and collaborations.
Ranging from dance floor killers to super smooth ballads, it includes artists such as Zahara, Lira, Big nuz, HHP and other well known South African artists.
The second  double CD feature a potpourri of rock, pop, adult contemporary, classical, sokkie, alternative and dance music-36 potent tracks in all.
Expect a bonanza of multi-genre Afrikaans tracks by the likes of Jack Parow, snotkop, Joe Niemand and other Afrikaner artists.
The SAMA committee and the recording industry of South Africa (RISA) wanted to make the music of the 18th MTN SAMAs accessible to the multifaceted markets in our dynamic country. That is why they decided to create two separate, genre specific compilation of nominee allowing fans to choose their favourite, or pick both.

The two double disc sets will be on sale at sun city during the MTN SAMA 18 weekend,  on 29 and 30 April 2012. The main awards ceremony will be broadcast live on Monday, 30 April at 8.30pm. Gallery seating at the Sun City Superbowl is available to the public through computicket

STILL PRODUCING THE ORIGINAL SOUND

The soil live performance

They started doing their thing in township with music that touches your soul. A group of young talented musicians from Soweto in a location called Protea. They met six years ago while they were learners at Tetelo secondary school in Protea north. When they started the group there were six members, who used to sing in after school jam sessions on Fridays. The other members left the group, now there are only four members left who are still keeping the soul alive. Luphindo Ngxanga, Ntsika Ngxanga, Samkelo Mdolomba, and Buhlebendalo Mda are the ones who are left in the group who are doing all the live performances and the recordings. The group performs without musical instruments with the back-up being beat box sounds of their own making. They tell us in their several interviews that they have never accessed instruments as artist so they make their own instrument. This crew gives thanks for wonderful support from the Nation Arts festival audience as the library hall in hill street that never saw empty seats in their shows. I urge everyone who loves music to go and buy their wonderful and moving album in music stores titled 'THE SOIL' and to those who do piracy can we please stop that and support our local artist and empower the in order for them to be successful and produce more music for our entertainment.

SEDIBENG FESTIVAL ON SATURDAY

The Sedibeng choral festival was a success on both days Saturday and Sunday, people were happy and the choristers connected with their audience, people of the vaal were welcoming and nothing went wrong. Choirs performed and of course there had to be a winner, some lost like my choir we got position 5 In African and 10 in the western piece. It was a day well spent in Sebokeng and the winners walked with big smiles in their face. The next competition is next year March.

The conductor ready to take over the stage

 

choir ready to perform their western piece



• Sedibeng choral festival on Saturday
• There were a lot of choirs under the developmental category
• Choristers and their audience were there till late
• Refreshments were sold
• People enjoyed the joyful sounds from different choirs
• The festival was a success.

THE SEDIBENG CHORAL FESTIVAL

St Joseph catholic youth choir

It is often said that Africa sings, indeed she sings. She sings when she is sad bringing out joyful sounds, she sings a song of praise. This will be evident tomorrow in Sedibeng choral festival as choirs will be performing in Sebokeng. Sebokeng is a location In the vaal, it was a farm land lying fallow there were no houses now it is a home to alot of people and a place were people celebrate their humanity. The event is held on march, celebrating the humans right month in harmony.
categories :

• soloist
• developmental and
• large

This year the Sedibeng will be celebrating in a much bigger and spectacular way than before, as I'm also going to take part in this big choral event with my choir St Joseph catholic youth choir. We will be performing Xinkanka under the developmental choirs, a tsonga song about the war that happened in 1939. The composer is talking about how people go on their lives without God, whereas anything without God is pointless. The way things were done in the past and how the youth of today should change their ways of which of course by praying and consulting our elders when ever we are in doubt. The other song that will be performed in the developmental category is the western piece called Danny boy, Danny boy is the son who has to leave and this is the lament of the parent left behind fearful of never seeing him again before he/she dies. It is originally written from a mother's perspective it's as commonly sung by men now.
The tickets will be sold at the door on the day of the festival which is the 24th March 2012. The doors open at 1pm