Women’s month came to an end yesterday and we are still reeling from the massive talent our ladies showed us. So we’ve decided to extend the appreciation and celebration of women for the rest of the year. We sat and spoke all things relating to music with Qhawekazi Mene better known as QonVocals. She is a multi-talented vocalist, radio host, guitarist, bead maker, film maker and actress in training, who is just about ready to get her sound out there.
If there ever was a vocalist who looks iconic, it is Q. She has managed to carve a brand of music that firmly expresses her complexity and eccentricity as an artist. It is quite refreshing and undoubtedly authentic; she calls it native experimental jazz with tribal elements fused into it. Growing up listening to the likes of Ringo Madlingozi and Bobby Mcferrin, it explains how she ended up making the type of music she makes.
She does, however, say that she doesn’t know how to actually classify her sound. “Me and the people who make my music play and we play with what we have in mind. We play with the fact that we have a duty to our identity as Africans. We play with the fact that we have a duty to the era in which we are a part of as well as understanding which generations of artists we are and what we need to sacrifice for what we are about to grow. We just play,” she says.
Q has a way of exploring topics such as pain and rejection in her music in such a splendid manner, you’d think that she knows what you are going through. This ability to tap into a deeper and wider world that is not within herself is a special skill that she has as a writer and she conveys this in a gifted manner. Hers is a voice that is not only soulful but it is deeply intense. One can tell that music forms part of her therapy because of its gentle and calming effect on the listener.
The visual arts student started music at a young age when she formed a band with her friends and she has always been doing tribal and fusion type of sound. From there onward, it was a matter of putting in the work to refine her craft. Her musical journey has been blessed because she has been fortunate enough to work with like-minded people who have the same goals in mind. “For the most of it, I have been blessed to have people who have taken me under their wing and guided me along the way,” she adds.
She is now focusing on the business side of the music industry and learning how to put herself out there using the correct channels. The bold songstress states that knowing the business is more important than the talent, “anyone can make it if you now how”. She adds, “you have to be a package. You need to resemble something that is progressive”. Her career is steadily rising and we have no doubt that she will make a massive impact when she lands!
To check out what she has been up to, link up with her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Soundcloud pages.
Listen to her track, Andisafuni, below!It is also available on iTunes!
