5 minutes with Azana

Just 5 mins with Azana. No you don't know much about her, yet...

DHLA: Briefly tell us about your upbringing and stage name

Azana: Growing up I was the weird child, very shy but I loved to Sing and dance in my room when no one was watching.

I grew up in Chesterville,Durban and I am the only girl at home as well as a last born so my parents gave me the name Makhosazana which means Princess.

I then grew up singing endlessly and eventually I was performing for crowds and I decided that I wanted to make my name different and shorter for stage,

I then cut Makhosazana for Azana . Before I finalized my decision I looked up the meaning of Azana. I found that Azana means Queen, it was meant to be, I knew at that moment that was the name for my Brand.

DHLA: Who discovered you musically

Azana: My school teachers throughout my school life insisted that I become a musician
because they saw the potential in me,

but I’d rather say my mom discovered my talent first before anyone because she saw who I was in the house before I had courage to sing outside the house and

she always told me I’d be a musician but she was scared and didn’t entertain it cause she always knew how hard the entertainment industry is.

DHLA: You alluded recently on a radio interview, that you have done your rounds in different studios. Many upcoming musos think its easy. Take us from there till now

Azana: I started recording at the age of 15, there’s a studio next door and artists in the neighborhood use to pay to record but I was called in for free because they loved my voice.

When I left home for university I made posters cause I wanted to start a band and hopefully a team and that didn’t succeed.

I continued recording in Bloem with different producers and released ‘Uzongkhumbula’ as a featured artist, featured by Shauncross .
The other songs I recorded were never released.

DHLA: For someone that has never heard your voice, how would d you describe it

Azana: My voice is Rich and soothing. It sounds like Royalty.

DHLA: Take us through the making of the hit single Uhuru

Azana: How UHURU was made? DeejayMondy SA DeejayMondy SA and myself were driving to studio and he expressed to me his struggles before he decided to fully dedicate himself to the the music
industry and it made me realize that a lot of people go through similar hardships.

Lots of Black people are looking for jobs, some have jobs that they don’t necessarily want to do for the rest of their lives, many suffer from Poverty and hopelessness.

I wrote the idea down in a piece of paper, when we got to studio Sun-El Musician started making this beat and I immediately fell for it, it inspired me to write more,it just felt right.

DHLA: Quiet interesting how you hooked up with Sino Msolo. For those not in the know, do share

Azana: used to see me perform on campus and I wasn’t aware of that, the first time I noticed Sino Msolo was in a singing competition called the Bloem talent show and he was performing with his guitar and I was captivated by his talent.

He then invited me to watch him perform at a lounge where he usually performed on Sundays with a band, we kept in touch since then.

He encouraged my career in music and begged that I tag Sanele T Sithole in my cover posts.

DHLA: How has the fan fair been so far? Are you treated differently at home?

Azana: The response from fans has been good, its wonderful seeing that the music attracts people all over Africa and beyond even if they don’t know what the song means, people still enjoy the sound.

No I am not treated differently at home, I am still the same Makhosazana but they no longer complain when I talk about Music because they have seen the response from people as hope.

DHLA: One would say you are following the same trail as Simphiwe Nhlangulela aka Simmy. How does that make you feel?

Azana: That feels good, I do look up to Simmy especially because she’s older and has been though things that I’m currently going though and we discuss our experiences so she’s become a mentor to me.We are different as artists though.

DHLA: How weird or easy has it been working with Sino Msolo on your upcoming 14 track album. Do we have a title as yet

Azana: It’s been great working with Sino and the whole El World Music team, it didn’t feel like I was working, we were just making music and having fun next thing I have an album.

DHLA: You worked on the album surprisingly fast. Take us through it

Azana: My parents did not want me to go to Joburg for a long time especially because I’m a girl ,they were worried about my safety so I tried making as many songs as I could during my stay.

 I found it easy and fun writing to Claudio X Kenza ’s beats so it all flowed and I couldn’t stop.

The title of my Album is called “INGOMA”.

DHLA: There are questions regarding the association of Uhuru with that of Dr Letta Mbulu 's not yet Uhuru. You say there isn't much creative referencing to it. How so?

Azana: “Amakhamamdela“ by Dr Letta Mbulu has the famous lyrics “Not yet Uhuru” and

UHURU also does, slight inspiration was taken from the song yet the songs are very different and they are simply told apart.

The idea of the songs are also both similar, both addressing the black people of Africa.

DHLA: For those that are juggling music and school, what is your message

Azana: I encourage all the go-getters to do all the things they wish to do even while they are studying because even after graduation you are not guaranteed a job.

If you love music than tackle it cause it won’t feel like much work if it makes you happy but keep in mind that it won’t be easy.

I appreciate all the love I’ve been getting from all my fans,they keep me going.

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