VIP tickets with backstage pass to Unathi’s show
Raised in a spiritual home and nurtured by a God-fearing mother, singer, television personality and businesswoman Unathi Msengana is bringing her first solo tour home next week.
The Brave, True and Strong Tour – named after her newly released album – is what Msengana describes as a celebration of women, perseverance and the beauty of life.
The show will be held at the Boardwalk ICC on Saturday September 15.
A powerhouse in her own right, the mother of two said she quit radio to concentrate on her music and was able to pour her soul into the album.
“I didn’t have the courage to do a tour before,” she said.
“I didn’t believe in myself the way I do now and I didn’t have the strength to follow through with this side of my life, and it is completely a reflection of where I am as a woman, where I am as a musician and entertainer.
“I wanted this energy to be transferred because this is not just about me.
“I want everyone else to understand that their dreams can come true – they must come true and we have to put them into action.”
Msengana said she was experiencing mixed emotions ahead of her Bay show.
“I am very excited to be coming home,” she said.
“I am a proudly Eastern Cape girl and I hope I can fly the flag high, but I am nervous though because Johannesburg was sold out, Polokwane was sold out, so Port Elizabeth cannot not be sold out.
“My people need to come. “I want to do so well in the Eastern Cape.
“I have planned a special show for PE and I am very excited because we always have the best time there and my band absolutely love performing in the city because they say the energy is simply amazing.”
Speaking about what she wanted fans to take away from her show, she said: “Love, joy and a feeling of celebration.”
With about 15 years’ experience in the music industry, Msengana, an Idols SA judge, said she took time off from her other responsibilities to focus on creating something close to her heart.
“This album is very different from all the other albums because this time I had nothing else to distract me,” she said.
“I quit radio to focus on my music and you can hear it is deeper, more vulnerable, more melodic.
“This album unleashed the uncompromising artist in me, unleashed the woman who wants to serve through music, and it unleashed parts of me that I never knew I could express outwardly.
“It is very sensual, which is a part of me that I have never shared. It unleashed the child in me who is loud and roaring, who wants to be listened to, and unapologetically so.”
Msengana, 40, said she knew she had not been ready for a solo tour before and her mom was the one who helped her realise that everything happened when it should.
“If I were driven by ego, I would definitely have done a tour before but I was humble enough to recognise that I was not ready,” she said.
“My mom always said ‘God is always on time’ and that carried me through.
‘I am a proudly Eastern Cape girl and I hope I can fly the flag high, but I am nervous’ Unathi Msengana
SINGER AND TV PERSONALITY
“I am fortunate enough to have been raised by a very spiritual mother who often reminds me that things will work out when it is your time.”
Speaking about her Idols SA journey, she said the show had far surpassed the judges – Randall Abrahams and Somizi Mhlongo who form the panel alongside Msengana – and had become SA’s show.
“It is now an institution in the country and I think this is largely because we have given SA so much power in genuinely deciding who they want to see win,” Msengana said.
“We received 98 million votes last year, as an indication just how much this show means to the people.
“And with such a largely popular show, as judges we feel very strongly about the decisions we make and yes, we have argued with one another, but that is because we have so much respect for the show and for each other.
“We respect each other – because we are working for the show’s betterment.”