It seems like these days the only music really moving units or making an impact on the avenue is amapiano and as jubilant as this might make us, we do have an array of other worthwhile sounds out there. Variety is the seasoning of the soul, and we can't just have log drums or hardcore raps ringing off all day, respectfully.
Imagine our delight when we stumbled upon an artist who is still quite underground but embodies the true essence of going against the grain. That is what art was once about before people realised, they can simply copy the flavour of the month and ride the coat tails of a trail blazer to success.
Sikelelwa Jo-An Qwazi, better known as Siki Jo-An, started singing when she was six years old and wrote her first song when she was 14 in grade nine.
“One of my friends said I must never sing this song in front of people. That’s how bad my first song was. But I never gave up on songwriting. I kept writing until I got it right. Now I write songs for myself and others,” the 30-year-old from KwaZakhele in Gqeberha says.
She grew up in a township where they didn’t have instruments, so hungry young creatives made their own by repurposing buckets to use as drums and the like.
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"We used to perform in the streets. I then joined the school choir and my choir teacher kept giving me solos to lead the choir. That is when I realised that there was something special about my voice. When I was in grade 10, I decided to take music as one of my subjects and eventually obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in music and drama from Rhodes University.
“After graduating, I made the big move to the City of Gold [Johannesburg]. For the first six months, I worked at a call centre where I was an English consultant teaching students online. I quit my job to enter a talent reality show called The Remix SA and straight after that, I auditioned and got my big break in the music industry.”
She has found a home for her sonics in what has quietly been one of the country’s best genres: Afro-soul and pop. She draws inspiration from such titans as Miriam Makeba, Zonke Dikana, and Thandiswa Mazwai, to name a few.
“When I am composing a song, I normally start by writing lyrics and then finding the right melody by strumming my guitar or playing some notes on my piano. When I have found lyrics and a melody for the song, I then introduce it to the band and we take it to the studio,” she explains.
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She has done a few shows on the reality TV circuit with her most notable appearance being on The Voice South Africa where she finished in the top three of the 2019 season. Siki was fortunate enough not to win any of these, which is probably why her career has promise. You want to avoid the curse of victory in that plastic pantomime as it almost always spells doom for the triumphant. When was the last time you checked for Leona Lewis or the people who won Idols SA in the years Amanda Black and Shekhinah competed?
“The Voice South Africa really changed my life. After leaving the competition, I have performed on big stages such as RMB Starlight Classics, I sang New Zealand’s National Anthem during a rugby game with the Springboks, and recently I sang at Cricket SA Awards,” she boasts.
Her album has also reached its completion with the first single scheduled to hit airwaves in August and the album in September. Beyond entertaining you, this artist is determined to play a role in contributing to the immense yearning that the world seems to have for African artistry.
“It’s time for African music to be recognised internationally. Amapiano is doing so well in putting our country on an international level; however, I think other African music genres will also be recognised. Our sound is not going to be just local and domestic."
