Can’t touch this, says Penny about his crown
UNIQUE STYLE IS TALK OF TOWN
CLASH of the Choirs SA choirmaster Penny Penny has made a triumphant return to the apex of the entertainment game – but some things will always remain the same.
Penny, who was at the pinnacle of his career in the 1990s as a Shangaan disco star, has drawn praise for his longevity and applause for his return to prime time.
For 23 years, Penny has maintained his artistry, his sense of duty as a local councillor in Giyani, and his hairstyle.
The unique “pineapple” big bang up-do style perched right on top of his head has remained unchanged and he is finicky about who touches it. He travels to northeastern Limpopo whenever he needs a touch-up.
The hitmaker was born Eric Nkovani. He told Sowetan that “only four people have touched my hair” and that only his mother has seen him with a cleanshaven head.
“I do not use many people to do my hair. There is a girl in Malamulele who does my hair. She is the only one I trust. I can prepare the style at home for work but I don’t do my hair every day,” he says.
The raspy-voiced music veteran jokes: “Even when you are happy, you can’t touch my hair and play with it. We would fight.”
Penny says his hair had supernatural powers like Samson’s, the ill-fated Biblical character.
“When God gives you the strength and trains you, you have to maintain it. God gave me power and it’s in my hair. If someone touches my hair, I feel sick in my soul.”
The new season of the Mzansi Magic choral competition got tongues wagging when it premiered a fortnight ago and Penny’s hair was the talk of the town. He leads Team Limpopo.
Soon after, memes (pictures used for mimicry) were all the rage.
Penny recently made headlines for threatening to beat up fellow musicians who he accused of using Xitsonga music to hurl insults at him and others.