meet the joburg finalists: serati

On November 30th and December 1st, eight acts will perform at the AFROPUNK Joburg Battle of the Bands Finals.

The Grand Prize at the Battle of the Bands is the once-in-a-lifetime chance to join the star-studded, line-up of AFROPUNK JoBurg 2018 at Constitution Hill on New Year’s Eve. But the Battle of the Bands is not only an opportunity for a big break most musicians seek in their careers, it is also an occasion for South African artists to showcase their music, their creative spirit and their artistry to the AFROPUNK audience. So this week, we’re spotlighting all eight finalists, asking them questions about who they are and what this moment means to them.

Up next is Serati, a singer and guitarist who the describe her style as “afro soul-folk” but also says, “I am not chasing a genre, I just write what comes.”

What is you name, your age, and the instrument that you play?

My name is Serati, I am 26 years old, and I sing and play acoustic guitar.

Where are you from?

I am from Alexandra Township in Johannesburg. I was born and raised here in South Africa, but have lived with my family in the U.S. (Boston) and the UK (London) for short periods when I was growing up.

What are your favorite things about where you are from?

I am going to talk about my favorite things about my continent at large, rather than just South Africa or Johannesburg. I would have to say one of the things I love the most is how we have been blessed with the most glorious climate; we have so much natural beauty. We as Africans are also so culturally diverse, we have such rich culture, and you see that from something as simple as our stunning intricate braided hairstyles, to our musical traditions. It is actually a dream of mine to put together a band and tour the continent, for the sake of getting to soak up all the diverse musical cultures we have, but also to discover the natural beauty and cultures of Africa.

Give us a short description of the kind of music you make.

For the moment I call it afro soul-folk. I say soul-folk because I have been very much influenced by the greats of the soul genre — Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone — as well as contemporary artists like Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill. But my songwriting style and my guitar-playing are very much influenced by storytelling style of folk. Soul also simply means that these songs are coming from the soul of me, from my absolute core. My main focus is on the stories that I am telling. My aim is to always be honest and  poetic in my delivery of the story. At the same time, traveling and exposing myself to diverse genres and styles of music (especially on the continent) opened my music to evolving into whatever it needs to be. I am not chasing a genre, I just write what comes.

If there was one or two core thoughts or ideas that you want your music to convey, what are they?

I would have to say Honesty. That is all I ever strive to be in my songs, and that is what I want them to convey. I have written songs in tears, and I have also felt really exposed by the things that I have written about in my songs, but I feel like that is my space to do that. When people feel touched by the honesty and the vulnerability in my songs, that is the greatest blessing.

What are your musical dreams and aspirations? Not fame-wise, but creatively. What do you think you can do with music?

I want to connect with people through the stories that I am telling. I feel like there is more that is universal in this life experience, than what differentiates us, many more points at which we converge; and music is a bridge that connects our common experiences. If I could hear someone say that what I have written about in my song has touched or inspired them, or reminded them of their own situation, then I feel like I have done something right. I also think that I am constantly in a place of evolving artistically and musically. The more I actively expose myself to the wealth of African musical traditions in particular, the more I see myself evolving to incorporate that into my own sound.

Name one artist that you would like to collaborate with? What do you think that collaboration would sound like?

I have always had a dream of performing “The Prayer” with Andrea Bocelli and/or Josh Groban. Celine Dion was my first idol, so I will always have a special place in my heart for classical music and ballads. I would also love to work with Lokua Kanza, he is such a legendary African musician and I think of how much I could learn from him. I think [the result] would be an African folk song with stunning harmonies

What are you most looking forward to if you win the Battle of the Bands? What do you think winning could do for you?

First of all the exposure, that is what I am looking forward to the most — doing what I have been doing but on a larger scale, having a larger platform, access to a larger audience. Also, I am very much in alignment with what AFROPUNK stands for: it is so powerfully Black and proud, speaking about issues that affect the Black community, Black marginalized folks and Black womxn- and I want to be a part of that movement.

READ MORE ABOUT THE REST OF THE AFROPUNK JOBURG BATTLE OF THE BANDS FINALISTS:

MEET QUEER RAP DUO, KEABRUH&JAY.B

MEET LEON, A THOUGHTFUL “SINGING” SONGWRITER

MEET RED ROBYN, SINGER, MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST, “DREAMER”

MEET SOUL POP VOCALIST/RAPPER, THE RICKY TYLER SHOW

MEET ELECTRONIC SINGER-SONGWRITER, SIỎ

MEET IKATI ESENGXOWENI, A SOULFUL ACOUSTIC DUO

MEET AFRO-POP/SOUL SINGER, LUIS_THEDON