SPEND THE DAY WITH SINGER-SONGWRITER LANGA MAVUSO
The Insider SA spends the day in Johannesburg with singer-songwriter Langa to learn more about his debut album.
Born in Johannesburg, in Parktown, Langa spent his formative years in Diepkloof with his grandmother. That said, his parents really loved music and inspired him to pursue it as a career.
“I found out about the National School of the Arts and this was where I really delved into what it means to be an artist and musician,” says Langa, who spent three years studying drama and two years on music. During this time he discovered his own voice and that we really wanted to make a living from his craft.
“I think that the most fulfilling part about creating music and just being in the compositional space is that you have the opportunity to start something from scratch and watch it grow. To sit down with my producer and really come up with a sound that captures an emotion for me is such a fulfilling thing because I always feel like when the story is just begging to be told, you just want to fight until you give it life. And when you feel like you’ve done it justice, there’s no better feeling,” says the urban artist who released his debut album, the self titled ‘Langa’ a few months back.
“Self titled because I felt like this was a full project that really embodied who I am and what I’m about. But also, it was a gift to my father’s family. Langa is my dad’s surname… When I created the work I didn’t know that I was fulfilling a dream of my great grandfather who always wanted to be a musician, however my dad sat down with me and said, ‘you know we’ve all wanted to be musicians, but we’ve never had the opportunity to do this’. So it’s also a gift to them and to my lineage. To say that it’s possible and that this dream has been fulfilled.”
Langa Mavuso certainly is an artist to watch, and with so much hype and excitement around this budding career, we can’t wait for the release of the urban icon’s second album.
Q & A WITH LANGA MAVUSO
What does ‘living better’ mean to you?
“Living better means being in control of your time and using it with intention so that you are fully present. I’d like to live better by being more present in the moments of rest with family – as sometimes we become so consumed by professional aspirations that we forget to take real time off.”
What legacy would you like to leave behind through your design / work / business?
“I’d like to be known as an artist who created music that cultivated a healing atmosphere and energy.”
What two pieces of advice would you like to share with South Africa?
“That it’s important to save because one never knows when the world might change or go into complete stand-still, and secondly I would encourage South African’s to what they love, because you have one life.”
Where do you go to escape and connect with yourself?
“My mother’s home. It’s my safe place”
Do you have an encouraging quote to wrap up on?
“Remain teachable.”
