Andre Marais (AM): What does Simphiwe Dana stand for?

Simphiwe Dana (SD): I stand for justice. I stand for peace.

AM: What inspires your music?

SD: The human condition. My roots are everything. I am passionate. I was born in Africa.

AM: How did growing up in rural Transkei influence your work?

SD: A great deal. I learnt at a very young age to be responsible –  to respect and be in touch with my environment.
AM: Your One Love Movement on Bantu Biko Street contains some powerful songs. How were you and your music influenced by the ideas of Biko?

SD: He formed a major part of my identity.

AM: Would you describe yourself as a political artist?

SD: Well, more of a social activist. It is part of my being –  about who I am. I don’t separate my art activism from my music.

AM: Many of the aspirant young female jazz vocalists at a music project in a township in Delft, Cape Town, credit you for giving them confidence in singing in their own languages. Do you think there is a growing acceptance of using indigenous languages in popular music?

SD: I think language is our identity. It contains all the knowledge of who we are, and how we relate to our environment. For me it is a tragedy that an artist can’t do that. I mean, there is so much information contained within our languages. If the artists and we don’t use them, not only do we lose out, but the whole world loses out.

AM: You seem to float with great ease between music styles: Traditional, classical, jazz, etc. Was this always the case, and what style do you prefer?

SD: I don’t think I prefer one style over the other. That is why it is so difficult to box into any genre. I have learnt from different disciplines musically, but I am first and foremost an African.

AM: Your Live in Concert release this year features a 27-piece orchestra accompaniment doing some amazing renditions of your songs. What gave rise to this collaboration?

SD: My music lends itself to different interpretations. This collaboration helps bring out the multilayered texture of my work. I enjoyed working on it.

AM: You often describe performing live as spiritual experience. What do you mean by this?

SD: Yes, studio work can bring on a hollow sound, with the richness of voice and instruments losing its quality. The presence of a live audience and live band bring on a totally different experience – a connection of being in the moment. I love it. It is more real.

AM: On Twitter and Facebook you openly support the Economic Freedom march initiated by the ANCYL. Can you say something about this?

SD: I don’t think we should ignore poverty and the gap between the rich and the poor. There are still enormous inequalities in our country – great wealth disparities. I supported this march because it highlighted these issues. It also brought lots of young people onto the streets, which is a good thing.

AM: You are also an activist and a social commentator. Can you comment briefly on these other roles?

SD: I am both. How can an artist not be this in our country? I am committed to these roles. It is not one or the other.

AM: Your very critical views of Helen Zille earlier this year: can you expand on them for our readers?

SD: Yes, I don’t like her claims of being a multiracial party and Cape Town being a home for all. It is not true. It is still very difficult to be black in Cape Town; like finding a job, etc. I live here, and it can be very unwelcoming. In many ways it is the most repressed province in the country. It also does not afford black language and culture the recognition and dignity it deserves.

AM: Can you talk a little about your latest CD Kulture Noir and how it differs from your previous releases?

SD: It is more emotional and heartfelt than the others. It reveals more about who I am.

AM: Any other projects in the pipeline?

SD: It will be on 3 December, and it will be a live set. Simphiwe live at the Lyric Theatre.

AM:  Any comments about the upcoming COP17 conference in Durban?

SD: I think it is really scary what is happening to the earth, particularly because poor third world countries will be most affected. Any gathering looking at the problems and genuinely trying to find solutions must be important, so I will be following it keenly.

AM: Amandla! magazine supports the One Million Climate Jobs Campaign in its demand on government to create sustainable employment in repairing the environment. What do you think of such a campaign?

SD: Well, it must go along with changing our behaviour and educating us about new ways of dealing with our garbage and recycling. It needs to be about all these things as well.