| Interview by ARMC | Edited by Reggie Rasodi
As Libra season ends and allows Scorpio in, we have a brief chat with an award winning Swati artist who has graced many local and international stages. Born Nomfundo Spies, Adrienne Foo’s music career began at a very young age and she has been working her way up to reach greater heights.
Please introduce yourself and share a little about your musical journey?
I sang as a young child, at school and in church. I began doing features for friends who made music when I was in my early 20s. Over the years I gained the confidence to write my own music. I have since worked with some of the biggest names in our industry and I continue to learn and make beautiful creations through my music.
You sound very confident in your career path, what motivated you to choose music?
I always say music choose me. I always loved it. I always sang. It was just always in my heart.
Please share a moment when you felt empowered as a woman in the music industry, and how did it shape your career?
Nothing too deep but I remember a video of me singing once went viral. I was not done up in that video. I was at home looking as crusty as they come. Yet that was the video that trended more than all my well prepared and done up content. That felt real. I felt empowered in that moment because it had very little to do with my physical appearance as a woman. It was only about my music. I did that!
We strongly believe that representation matters. How has the concept of representation influenced your career, and what approach do you aspire to adopt in the music industry to serve as a positive example for future generations?
The music industry is male dominated. It’s inspired me to find as many women as possible to work and create with and become a team with. My approach will always be to choose to work with a woman where I can. It is important for it to become a common sight for women to DJ/produce or be in bands.
Collaboration is key in the music world and you mentioned that the music industry is male dominated. . Could you tell us about a memorable collaboration with another talented woman and what you learned from the experience?
My favourite collaboration has got to be with Phiwo. We worked on so much music. Beautiful work. It taught me the importance of compatibility. It was so organic. It opened me up to working with many more women particularly on collab projects.