A good Sunday in my neighbourhood is never rushed. It starts with the familiar sounds of buckets filling with water, the hum of washing machines, radios fighting for dominance across fences and the smell of washing powder hanging in the air. There is laundry, lots of cleaning and cooking.
Someone is washing a car. Someone else is in the garden. Music is always playing, not too loud, just enough to let you know the day has its own rhythm.
Once the Sunday meal is cooked and the elders have eaten, the house settles into a quiet pause. That is when we get dressed for the final ritual of the day: going to the local establishment to enjoy the last few hours of Sunday. The DJ understands the assignment.
Read Full Article on Mail & Guardian
[paywall]
Old school R&B. You know what’s coming and you don’t mind. What you do know is also this: we are not leaving until the DJ plays Karyn White.
That is how deeply White’s music lives in South Africa. Her voice has followed us through decades of Sundays, heartbreaks, quiet moments and personal awakenings. When I spoke to White over Zoom about her enduring relationship with South Africa, her new singleYou’re Gonna Want Me Backand her upcoming visit later this year, it felt less like an interview and more like catching up with someone who has always been present in our lives.
White is aware of the bond. When I ask what she thinks it is about her voice and storytelling that continues to resonate with people across generations and countries, her answer is grounded and reflective. “It’s coming from a truthful place.
And I believe that every woman, all over the world, can relate to self-worth, loving yourself and standing up for yourself. “That’s not something that belongs to one country or one culture. That’s a universal language.
Love thyself. That message doesn’t age.” Her latest single,You’re Gonna Want Me Back, fits neatly into that lineage. It does not sound like revenge.
It does not sound like bitterness. Instead, it feels like a calm exhale, the moment you finally see things clearly. White explains that this was intentional.
“Superwomanwas about strength,” she says. “This song is about discernment. It’s a soulful, classy grown-woman anthem.
There’s power in restraint. It’s not loud confidence, it’s calm confidence.
[/paywall]
