ASNDA (Asanda Madikane) is an absolute powerhouse of a vocalist. Her latest single "Runnin (To Love Again)" speaks about heart break and mental health issues that we all face. The production is playful and dynamic while her voice brings the right amount of intensity to round off the mix, a good recipe for a summer banger. Outside of her music career, Asanda is a serial entrepreneur and an established film director too. I guess she proves to us that everything is possible in this world, and we have to do what we love and make things happen for ourselves. You got to commend her spirit, she is surely going to be an unstoppable force in the music industry. We have more insight into ASNDA's music and life in our interview below:
1.What made you move from South Africa to Belgium to pursue your music?
I moved to Belgium because I wanted to pursue other goals in my life. I was a successful film and television director in South Africa and I love it. I started to feel stuck in corporate and wanted to stretch my wings as an entrepreneur. Music was just one of the ‘Loves’ I always wanted to do. When I finally found the courage to create music. It completely changed my life for the better.
2. Who are the musicians that truly inspired you to take up music as a career?
In my culture and my family, we sing when we are in celebration, in faith, for our ancestors, in birth, the phases of our lives and in death. We sing. Singing to me is the feeling of liberation. It has allowed me to tell my stories in the most honest way. I am inspired by the late South African artists Brenda Fassi and Miriam Makeba. They showed me how to be proud and innovative when it comes to culture and pop music. The late Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill, Aretha Franklin have influenced my soulful nuances and Rihanna and Beyoncé’ have made passage to my badass confidence in music.
3. What themes do you like to portray with your music?
My music is based on my own self reflections, experiences and fantasies. I write about the emancipation of women, sexuality and introspect. Highly influenced by the strong women figures in my life, my mother and my long-term relationship with my husband. I hope my music inspires girls and boys to be honest with themselves and be fearless to be who they want to be.
4. What is your songwriting process like? Do you work with a producer from the start or do you write alone and take your ideas to your producer?
Inspiration comes to me everywhere. It could be a feeling, a moment, a beat, a sound that inspires a lyrical phrase. The best is when one of the producers sends me music that I immediately fall in love with, and the lyrics and melody will flow from beginning to the end of the song in 30 minutes. I love these magic moments. Most of my songs start with a melody and a story then I communicate the idea of the song, vocally with examples to a producer that fits that genre of music. He then takes my vision and puts his genius to work. I love how it is always better than I ever imagined. It's beautiful working with talented people.
5. I read on your website that you are a business woman and a film director, can you tell us more about what you do outside of music and how you balance your time between them?
I am a superwoman, a life alchemist, an exhausted mom. After being a mom of two I decided to do only what I enjoy because frankly, I only have one life, I’ve done corporate, the hype is real and I’m done building other people's dreams. I got my MBA in Leuven, Belgium I became an online serial-entrepreneur. I manage my music business, my e-commerce, my content marketing agency. It can get overwhelming but I work with systems, processes and amazing people. There is no balance, I just have to schedule time for everything and everyone.
6. Do you put a lot of thought into the marketing and the business side of things when it comes to your music?
YES!! It is the biggest part of the business process. Communicating the themes and marketing new songs happens before and after the song is released. It is imperative that we grab our audience into the new world that we are creating with each song. This is how we differentiate ourselves from other artists. We want the audience to take more than 3 seconds to listen and hear our message so that they interact with our new products. It is so important that we give the music the chance it needs to reach new people.
7. The song you wrote and produced, Runnin’ (To Love Again) is dedicated to mental health. Can you tell us more about it?
For the first time in human history we have had the collective opportunity to stay at home, to slow down and think about what is really important to us in our lives. These changes have brought up a lot of our own fears to the surface and we are all rather overwhelmed by 2020. Music has always played an important role in assisting change. I have dedicated all my summer tracks to uplifting the human spirit. Runnin’ (To Love Again) is dedicated to the broken-hearted, the desolate and those suffering from mental health. It is an anthem to remind you that no matter how crazy, or drunken or lost or helpless you may feel ...you are not alone and we can find your way back to love again.
You can find her music on our playlist linked below :