Mango Groove set for Mother’s Day concert

CLAIRE Johnston, the blonde vocalist who helped rock South Africa into becoming a Rainbow Nation as lead singer of Mango Groove, hopes her music will help get the country over its present political “blip”.

Now 49 she is still very much on the stage with the group releasing a new album.

Faces to the sun is coming out “at the right time” when South Africa needs it.

“It celebrates South Africa,” she said this week ahead of her Mother’s Day performance at Ballito’s Sugar Rush Park next Sunday.

“There’s some real, serious stuff going on,” said the Wits politics graduate, adding that her music was never overtly political in spite of its effect.

“In my humble opinion, we need to remember that we’re going through another blip. And it’s probably appropriate for a young democracy to have such things.

“However, one must keep the faith and carry on.”

She said music, which could change people’s hearts like pol- ended up becoming something of a political statement in itself, she said.

“We weren’t overtly political. The only song that was, was Another country.

“But we changed the hearts and minds of people in a way politicians cannot. We were very lucky to be part of the transition.

“Having our first album come out in 1989, the timing couldn’t have been better. South Africa was ready for something like Mango Groove. Being part of that shift is probably what made us.”

Today she feels the power of music when she sees fans who were not even born in Mango Groove’s early days but who know the lyrics.

“The songs have crossed generations,” she said.

She has, however, had to adapt to the younger generation’s attachment to social media: “I have had to become tech savvy.” She recalled how, back then, a publicist “did it all”. Now they wanted candid shots of her doing “bizarre and random things”.

“It’s a different world. People want to be in touch with artists more than before. I need to get used to it and not get embarrassed. I think that surely it’s not interesting, but it is. “I’m getting there.” Johnston said as she grew older, the more she saw herself one day living closer to the ocean, “somewhere like KwaZulu-Natal or the Cape”.

PICTURES: SUPPLIED, IAN LANDSBERG AND PHILL MAGAKOE BEATING THE BLIP: Mango Groove’s Claire Johnston who will perform in Ballito on Mother’s Day, trusts South Africa will get over its political issues and that music can change people’s hearts in a way politicians cannot.