When anyone from a small town (small only in size, definitely not in thinking!) achieves something big, it feels magical. But it’s not the fairy dust sprinkling kind of magic. It’s the magic that comes from working hard to achieve success AND remain true to your roots. That no doubt makes her a star, actually no, a black diamond!
Yes, as promised, I’m talking about songstress Lungi Naidoo, in keeping with my December theme of celebrating amazing South African talent.
I met Lungi Naidoo in February 2015 while I worked at Newsbreak on Lotus FM. Her smile really does say it all, and yes, I look somewhat star-struck – I still am! She was super-excited to finally be profiled on a station where she could share her Indian heritage. With her eyes lit up, she spoke about her childhood with her Aya (grandmother in Tamil) and trying to learn some classic Tamil songs. It remains one of her fondest memories.
From then on, Lungi and I stayed in touch via social media and email. As her success grew, I grew more in awe of her humility. Last week, in between her sister’s wedding nogal, she spared a few minutes to chat to me about what 2017 has been like for her.
Lungi, once a background singer for Loyiso Bala and the late Lebo Mathosa, can now tick off working with Black Coffee on her list of accomplishments. There’s the magic I mentioned earlier!
She says working on her album Black Diamond, which is a blend of house and dance music, has opened up many doors for her. Being her third album, she’s learnt that patience really does pay off.
In her rise to the music charts, she has amassed an amazing following on social media – 16,2 K followers on Twitter, 14,7 K on Instagram and over 7K on Facebook. Still, Lungi does not believe she is famous or very popular. Though, she admits that social media is a window of opportunity. Not only does it give fans a front row seat to activities of artists, but it allows artists themselves to connect with each other anywhere in the world. She says this is a great boost for the South African music industry. But, she points out that the likes of Ladymsith Black Mambazo and the late Miriam Makeba created magic with music, long before the social media boom.
Another admission: she gets asked about her name and surname all the time. And she loves sharing the story of her mixed heritage.
Lungi was born in Stanger – now KwaDukuza. Home to King Shaka, Stanger later became home to Indian indentured labourers who worked on the sugar cane fields. That bit of history is significant because Lungi’s parents fell in love across the racial and cultural divides during the apartheid era. Her father is of Indian-origin and her mother is Zulu, and they faced many challenges. But her parents taught her that love is not about colour, and so at home, this was never an issue. She’s embraced both cultures.
It also means she often enjoyed a good breyani growing up, and still does
Lungi attended Shakaskraal Secondary School and is currently working on writing the school’s anthem. I, for one, could not think of a more beautiful way of giving back. And that’s not the only way Lungi gives back. The non-profit Lungi Naidoo Foundation supplies uniforms, books and food parcels to school children in rural KwaZulu-Natal. She says this was borne out of for her love of children.
And, what does the future hold for Lungi Naidoo?
“I set up my 2018 this year. I am looking at doing more TV & movie roles, but am also starting to work on my 4th studio album which I would love to collaborate with more artists from Africa. For me 2018 is the year I extend my music career to heights I only dreamed off.”
Her advice to budding artists is to keep at it, because she says music cannot be rushed. In her words, dreams are a journey, not an overnight trip.
Forget about the cliché, shining bright like a diamond. Lungi Naidoo is doing what she says she was born to do. Being the humble person she is; she says the support of South Africans played a major role in her success. And, every time she makes music, (I still call it magic!) she wants to make South Africans proud.
All pictures from Lungi Naidoo’s Twitter feed @LungiNaidoo – I told you I’m a fan!