Musical farewell to ‘Mother of the Nation’
EASTERN Cape music sensation Zonke, who sang her much-loved Viva at Winnie Mandela’s funeral at the weekend, said she wanted to sing the mother of the nation a lullaby one last time.
“I have never seen such a fearless woman before. Her presence was felt throughout and it’s difficult to fathom her selflessness. Her children had to share her with the nation,” she said.
For Zonke, singing at the funeral was not easy.
“As I was standing there before going on stage I told my manager that my eyes were watery and I had to pull myself together,” she said.
“It was heavy for me. My aim was to sing her a lullaby like one does to a child. During my performances I wear pants and I am very animated but I had to put all of that aside and pay tribute to our mother.”
The award-winning singer will be releasing her single, Tonight, on Friday and is expected to release her fifth album titled L.O.V.E (Living Out Various Emotions) in June this year. She said she would also be embarking on a national tour.
Her previous albums are Soulitary,
Life, Love ’n Music, Ina Ethe and Work of Heart. Her music has garnered her multiple awards and nominations in several music award events, including the South African Music Awards, Metro FM Music Awards, the Channel O Music Video Awards and MTV Africa Music Awards.
“There are so many emotions that come with love. We are sometimes happy, sad or angry at the people we love. Love is something that we all know and experience and I believe it will never be out of style,” she said, adding that the album was about celebrating being present and alive.
“One is able to live all these emotions and that is the beauty we need to talk about. The single Tonight talks about being present and being in the moment.
“A lot of people struggle with being present, myself included, but this is something I am learning.”
She said she was in a good space in her life and wanted that to penetrate through her music.
Zonke’s single Tonight will be available on all digital stores this Friday. —