The 2009 Channel O Video Music Awards arrive in Jozi next week Thursday (29 October) - at Carnival City.
They're being hosted by KB, Lungsta and Nonhle Thema and will be broadcast on Sunday 8 November at 21h00 - with a half-hour Red Carpet build-up before.
To get into the vibe for them I caught up with Lira for us, whose video for Wa Mpaleha has been nominated in three categories: Best Female Video, Best R&B Video; and Best African Southern.
Of course I had to ask more-more than whether she thinks she's going to win because she recently married producer Robin Kohln, which happened secretly, until everyone knew, in Mauritius.
Here's what she had to sing:
Tashi: What’s your take on the Channel O Awards? How do you see them in the greater scheme of music Awards?
Lira: The great truth about them is that they expose an artist to the African continent - from that point of view they’re extremely important and can’t be discounted.
Although, sadly for us as South Africans - we either don’t have enough people with DStv or South Africans don’t vote - South Africans rarely win because the people in other African states really support their own.
Every year it’s the same - it’s an honour to be nominated but you think “Don’t hold your breath,” - it’s a pity. It’s one thing I feel, so many people from other African states don’t have - we’ve got lots of Awards - there are a few accolades that we have in the year but they don’t have as many so they really go out there for them.
Tashi: The song that’s been nominated: Wa Mpaleha - could you tell us more about the meaning behind it?
Lira: Absolutely, very often in African culture it’s quite a taboo for a woman to approach a man so in the song, it’s a girl who says: “I sincerely feel the love I have for you in my heart and all I want to do is just be next to you.
"I’d love to hold you by the hand, and if I do, it means it goes two ways: I’ll be by your side so please, please don’t run away. Don’t be afraid that just because I’m a woman coming towards you saying 'I do love you,' - don’t run away from it .”
Wa Mpaleha is: you're running away - it’s a fun take on it. It’s sung in my father tongue, a Sotho song, which I hadn’t yet sung in - I thought it would be fun to reverse the roles and people have liked it for that.
Tashi: So did you ask Robin to marry you?
Lira: Haha no. *laughs*
Tashi: Do you come up with the ideas for your videos?
Lira: Yes, we come up with the idea, put the brief out there and then film-makers come back with storyboards. Eben Olivier came up with a story that I liked - it was lighthearted, nothing hectic, had lots of dancing so I like the treatment he offered. He also shot it on the Red camera which gives it a different quality.
Tashi: Your backing singers in the video - I’ve always wanted to be one, I can’t sing but I SO want to be one. Do you always use the same people?
Lira: Yes, I always use the same team. I also encourage people to do what they want to do so we’ve lost a few backing singers over time because they want to pursue their own career’s, which I fully encourage. We’ll help them with cutting a demo and things that they need.
The core members of my band though, they’re exactly the same and they have been for the past three years - they’re like family.
Lira, spotted in mid-sing and snapped by Segololo at True Love Magazine's Women's Day.
Tashi: With the music industry being so difficult to break into - what was the moment that you knew you’d made it? A career changing moment?
Lira: Signing to Sony was one thing and then as soon as the album was out - you really gauge how people are responding to your music once the album’s out and you’re on air.
I'd say a few months after the release of Feel Good, I thought “Oh my word I’m getting somewhere.” The release of it was a bit risqué for me - I’d gone through a personal transformation, the music wasn’t that different, but even my physical appearance was a change so I didn’t know how people would respond.
I was presenting who I really am and I plugged into a record label who believed in who I was. There was no-one telling me what I should do or be.
Tashi: Did it have to do with finding independence?
Lira: Yes, my first album didn’t sell because it wasn’t marketed at all. This one was more grown-up, commanding and owning the space more. It took me two years to run it as my own business and career - I wasn’t trying to be anything, I just was.
Lira on the set of Top Billing with Tumisho Masha
Tashi: Before that, what stopped you?
Lira: I was young firstly and doing the first album - it was a great album and even then nobody influenced what it sounded like .... but sadly because of the stable I was in - it was with a Kwaito stable (Triple 9) - what I represented didn’t come across at all.
I had 8 songs out of an album of 14 that got strong airplay but people didn’t have a connection who was actually singing it; and also they didn’t know that I was South African and just making a living out of it was very difficult.
I went through a whole depression and then, when I was ready, I did Feel Good, which reflected the woman I had become. Being in that stable, I just felt that I was seen through the eyes of them as opposed to who I was.
It became clear that no matter how hard I worked, or how I smart I was, being in the kwaito stable I was being treated like an idiot. Some of the questions I got in interviews, I’d think “My God you must think I’m an idiot.”
It was frustrating, I was not going to go anywhere in that environment - just that constant condescending tone was horrible, it was everywhere I went. After I left I just knew there was no turning back and that everything would be good.
Lira, at the 2009 SAMAs, pic'd by Cande
Tashi: Do you have a particular designer who designs for you?
Lira: I have a few, I keep it strictly South African, I like what South African designers represent: I find they’re very innovative and colourful - it’s so reflective of us as a nation.
Tashi: Do you get to keep them?
Lira: Yes I have most of them tailor-made. I also like to wear things, give the designers the exposure and then give it back.
Tashi: Do you wear things more than once?
Lira: I do, some, with the stuff that I wear on TV, admittedly no - I may get it in another colour or a variation of it. Unfortunately you’ll be in the tabloids if you wear something more than once too often.
Tashi: In the category: Best Female Video for the O Awards- who do you think your biggest competition is? ...
Amani for Tonight (Kenya)
Lizha James for Estilo Xakhale (Mozambique)
Nneka for Heartbeat (Nigeria)
Thandiswa Mazwai for Ingoma (SA)
Sasha for Only One (Nigeria)
Lira: It’s a tough one - I think Lizha’s a pretty strong contender and probably Thandiswa.
Tashi: If you weren’t up for it - who would you want to win?
Lira: I think that it’s about how you portray yourself in the video - I would zone into that, so I’d give it to Lizha.
Tashi: Why did you elope to Mauritius instead of having a big schmancy wedding?
Lira: I didn’t elope - that actually offends me, in spite doing a proper press release people will see it their own way. It was an opportunity for us to spoil our families - we have wonderful tight family and for me it was an ingenious way of getting married because we integrated incredibly well as a family - everyone became friends. They actually went ahead and became friends before the wedding. We'd planned it since March and our family knew.
We also wanted to go somewhere where it didn’t matter that I’m Lira, where I could just enjoy the night without worrying about the fact that I’m Lira - sometimes I just want to be a bit sloppy, party-up and dance like a little child and not worry about somebody watching or making a judgement on me so I went to an island where I could be with my family and be that.
Lira performing at the relaunch of MTV Base
Tashi: Who's your fave musician of all time?
Lira: Michael Jackson - not because he’s died but perhaps it’s been reinforced because he’s died. There’s one point where he totally changed my life - as a child, my parents used to say that I wanted everything with Michael Jackson on it. He really influenced the kind of musician I ended up becoming.
It wasn’t just the music with him, he cared about the environment, he cared about children, he cared about others - I really think he was the most amazing entertainer we’ll ever know.
When I first started, I’m a small girl - and growing up I was always reminded of my frame, so when I stood on stage, especially when it was a huge stage, I felt like a twig, like I’d disappear so I was very self-conscious.
I saw a video of him, and he was tall and skinny and he walked up with confidence and swagger and the place was filled to the brink. He walked on, struck a pose and the crowd went beserk. All he did was turn around, kinda looked the other way and it was just incredible.
What it taught me, from that moment on is that it’s your energy, your vibe, your whole demeanour - it totally changed my whole life. He made me feel as if anything was possible.
Ends
RELATED LINKS:
All the nominees in each category:
2009 Channel O Nominees
Voting online's happening on:
Channel O's website