MY PERFECT WEEKEND
Langa Mavuso, musician
Langa Mavuso’s ideal soundtrack
No two weekends are the same. My days vary — sometimes I’m in rehearsals in the afternoons, or I’m driving to studio, or sound-checking for a show. I could be sitting on my big yellow couch at my small apartment with my friend, dreaming of tomorrow as if today isn’t filled with the sweetest flowers and blessing of a new dawn.
One habit that never changes, regardless of the day, is that the first thing I do every morning is look at my phone (bad, I know). I want to check how much the world’s missed me while I was sleeping.
And then I say a short gratitude prayer. The prayer can be long, but sometimes it’s shorter than normal due to my terrible morning habit (too much time on the phone). After that I’ll either have a very big breakfast or have breakfast on the go when the days are busy.
Evenings are usually when I’m either singing to my supper or singing for my supper. Jokes aside, I do have a lot of shows at night so I’m usually playing at a show.
I tend to record new music
in the evening because one of my producers has a day job so we can only work during the evenings. My best songs usually come between 4pm and 11pm or super early in the morning.
Ideally, my perfect weekend would be spent at Nottingham Road in the Midlands Meander. It’s a beautiful and peaceful place in KwaZulu-Natal. I use a terrible cellular network and I won’t change it because I love that I have no coverage when I’m in relatively remote areas. I have no network in that area of the Midlands and I love it. The Midlands is a great place to reconnect with yourself, but it’s also filled with many interesting activity areas in the surrounds, like horse-riding and zip-lining trails. SA is beautiful. I love exploring it.
The best company on a perfect weekend? There are two people: either myself or a romantic partner.
On the perfect weekend I would probably indulge in a mushroom risotto and I would have it at one of the lovely restaurants in Howick looking off the gorge and take the Howick Falls gorge walk afterwards.
The perfect read is The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav because I love to take advantage of times when my mind is ripe and ready to be inspired for positive change.
Whenever I’m in places that aren’t similar to Johannesburg, I find myself in a very introspective state that is coupled with this yearning to be better and do better. Books that inspire and help incite clarity or reinvigoration of passion for purpose are usually best for these times.
The soundtrack for a good weekend is Zoe Modiga, Langa Mavuso (yes, me), Jhene Aiko, Jaime Woods and H.E.R. Anything soothing that feels like a hug because I love music that touches my spirit.