'Every performance has a way of being memorable and monumental': Zoë Modiga

JOHANNESBURG - “I know the music does what it needs to do. I know people are impacted and their inner selves are evoked far and wide. I am grateful to be a part of that lineage and I have a deep reverence for being a part of something way bigger than me,” said Zoe Modiga to Eyewitness News.

Modiga, born and raised in KwaZulu-Natal, is a quintessential artist who represents the present and future of South African music. The artist draws from human experiences, identity and storytelling to create a distinct sound to communicate a modern, evolving African story without losing its essence.
"My first memory of me singing was around five [years of age]. We would mindlessly make play-play songs with my neighbours. It helps that my neighbours also had such a varied taste in music that I was very early on exposed to such a wide palette of sounds. I fell in love with how music was the soundtrack to our lives, and it still is," she said.

As a performer, no stage is too big or too small for Modiga, who is always making eye contact with the audience.

She is also naturally light on her feet with movement and always performs with her audience instead of for them.

Modiga ensures that her audience becomes a part of her performances and not just onlookers,

“Every performance has a way of being memorable and monumental in that, it is a spirited moment created with music lovers and after it has happened you are fully aware that you can never get it back,” she explained.

And on 11 February 2023 Modiga will share the stage with fellow musician Mandisi Dyantis at Back to Live at Constitution Hill.

"Zoë Modiga and Mandisi Dyantyis have become the artists that communicate with stories, like how South African artists like Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela were 60 years ago and what Ringo Madlingozi and Thandiswa Mazwai have been for the past 25 years,” said show producer Banda Banda in a statement.

Dyantyis is a South African trumpeter and vocalist.

In 2019, he released his debut album entitled Somandla and was nominated for the SAMA award for best Jazz Album in the same year.

Modiga expressed her admiration for Dyantyis as a musician.

“I’ve admired Mandisi for many years and enjoyed all he has been sharing of the human condition through song. Being able to take him in, in his message, his compositions and his calling has been a beautiful ride,” she said.

An authentic and compelling artist who is challenging the status quo, Modiga is steadily creating an immortal legacy of cultural impact through music, fashion and storytelling.

“Music chose me long before I was actually aware. As far as I know, it’s always been there. My family has been very supportive in my calling to be a storyteller through song. Dare I say, they saw it coming from the beginning and embraced that, this is my purpose,” Modiga told Eyewitness News.

Modiga, a self-produced artist, gained fame after participating in the singing competition The Voice South Africa in 2016.

“The musical journey is filled with a lot of highs and lows because it demands so much vulnerability, ego death and bravery... The obstacles sometimes feel constant and yet the fulfillment is certain. I’ve had to remind myself that even in the greater scheme of things, my chapter is so necessary for the library of stories and sounds that pass through time. That none of my perceived doubt of that will change this reality,” she explained.

The songbird has collaborated with some of South Africa’s finest musicians, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Lira, Thandiswa Mazwai, Johnny Clegg, Simphiwe Dana, Abigail Kubeka, Madala Kunene, Louis Maholo, Tshepo Tshola and many more.

“I’d like us to cultivate an industry where our platform is aspirational because it is respected and honoured with true craftsmanship, strategy, spearheading our stories and resources. Where we can reach our fullest potential and marvel at the magic of that,” said Modiga of the changes she would like to see in the music industry.

Internationally, she has played at many festivals and world tours and recently performed at the launch of Somi's album Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba, which featured iconic acts such as Bra Hotstix Mabuse, Thandiswa Mazwai, Nduduzo Makhathini and Msaki.