By Lesego Chepape:
Yamikani Banda popularly known as Lady Zamar has released a new album after taking a five year musical hiatus.
Titled Rainbow, the album comes after she endured several public storms that she vows to Apple Music “will never happen again”.
The 12 track album is a solid sonic experience with genres ranging from house, pop to amapiano.
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“The journey was kind of hard, we tried the album twice before we actually got it right. I hope people receive it with openness and love and I hope people receive it with a lot of kindness. I hope people enjoy it and want to jam to it,” she tells the Mail & Guardian.
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Lady Zamar answers a few colourful questions the M&G asked her following her latest release, ‘Rainbow’.
If your music was a colour, what would it be and why?
If my music was a colour it would be pink and green because those are my favourite colours and I think I wore pink a lot in the studio.
What’s the weirdest place or situation you’ve found inspiration for a song?
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I was under the impression that I would be assassinated and I would be killed and so I decided to create Party in Heaven.
If you could collaborate with any musician, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
I would collaborate with the Weekend, I would collaborate with Nina Simon, I would collaborate with Max Martin as well because he is one of the best songwriters in the world. I prefer to work with people who are not big stars but people who are amazing writers. Oh yes! Lastly, as an honorary mention – Babyface. I would ask him to write my album, the whole album.
What’s the most unusual instrument you’ve ever played, and how did you incorporate it into your music?
I have never really played an instrument professionally but I have incorporated marimbas, violins and cellos in my music.
What’s the most memorable fan encounter you’ve had during a performance?
It was during the Lusito Land Festival when I went backstage to the trailers and this one guy walked in and he was just talking about how much he loves my music and he just randomly burst into tears. A grown man crying, it was a very humbling experience and it was an experience that I can never really forget. I wish I remembered his name – it was an experience that made me realise just how much people love me.
If you had to describe your latest album using only movie titles, what would they be?
I think I would use Forrest Gump to describe it because there is this victorious end to the movie where he comes out of his shackles and starts to run and it feels like that for me right now, where I have had this bad situation and bad luck and then I have been able to run and keep going. Another one is Pirates of the Caribbean. Jack Sparrow had always been quirky and full of solutions but never really full of anything and I feel like this album gives you that experience when you are watching Pirates of the Caribbean. It is a fun and adventurous album. As much as there are a lot of things happening in the movie, the feeling of watching it is always exciting and that is exactly how my album feels for me.
If you could perform a concert in any fictional universe, which one would you choose and why?
Oh my gosh! I would actually choose the world of Glee. Glee has inspired me in more ways than I can really say. When I am really sad and feel like I hate the industry I watch Glee and it reminds me again just how much I love music and how much I love performing.
Glee is also a series where a lot of kids don’t fit the status quo of what artists look like. I feel that way about myself, I don’t fit the status quo of what an artist is supposed to be, I am a little corporate in how I present myself. Very serious and sometimes I come across as very strict but the inner me is a world of bubbles and stuff. Mail & Guardian
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Lady Zamar: Quotable Quotes
“I chose Lady Zamar as my stage name because of its profound meaning. In Hebrew, Zamar means praising God in music. I adopted that part because my real name is Yamikani, which means praise. The Lady part is what poets always called each other in the poetry societies that I frequented.’
“I started singing to entertain myself. I grew up in a family that loves music. So without really thinking about it, I started expressing myself musically and singing all the time. I also wrote songs to unwind. People around me noticed my talent and encouraged me to pursue a career in music. I am now known for my musical melodies in popular house songs such as My Baby and Love are Blind.”
“I create music that speaks to people’s hearts and souls. Each listener relates to a song based on an emotion or experience that they are going through. This makes it a personal journey. I love connecting with people through music.”
