meet the joburg finalists: leon

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.

Next up is Leon, a thoughtful, Zimbabwe-born singing songwriter who writes “to free myself from myself and to find a place to lay down my troubles.”

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

My name is Leon, and I’m a 23 year-old singing songwriter.

Where are you from?

I’m a Zimbabwe-born Southern African of Karanga and Xhosa descent and heritage, currently based in Johannesburg, South Africa

What are your favorite things about where you are from?

While I consider myself a person from everywhere and nowhere at the same time (owing to my childhood of living hither and yonder), I am terribly proud of my cultural heritage. The music of my people is transcendent and inspires me everyday to do what I do. Our languages, our histories, our rites and our lores are a never-ending treasure trove that find constant expression in my music.

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

Simply put: I make soul music.

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

I can never — nor do I ever want to — presume what it is my people make of my music, because I intrinsically believe that the interpretation of music and stories at large is an extremely personal thing and an entirely subjective experience based on the circumstances of the listener. But if I were to wish for anything from my audience, it is simply that the truly listen when they listen, that they truly submerge themselves in the stories I tell. That’s all I can ever truly hope for.

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

When I think of music, I think of freedom in all of its facets. When I write, I write to free myself from myself and to find a place to lay down my troubles. When I sing I free my soul my and body, allowing it to engage with the souls of others. So, in the same breath, what I aspire to forever and always within my music is the freedom to do and be exactly as I am. The freedom to continue to create as only I know and ultimately, just the freedom to be free.

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

Oliver Mtukudzi and his Tuku music have been the soundtrack of my life. From as young as I can remember, his guitar has been ringing in my ear. He is my ultimate musical hero and I would love to write with him; to have the chance to marry his intricate arrangements and composing genius to my stories. That is my current dream collaboration and I imagine the music we’d create would transcend!

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

I look forward to meeting my people in all their various creeds and kinds. I look forward to the chance to cry with them and dance with them; the chance to celebrate each other. I look forward to singing with them and for them; to have them hear me and for me to hear them too. I look forward to every aspect of the AFROPUNK experience and ultimately; I look forward to the privilege of sharing myself on a stage and scale as big as the one AFROPUNK is providing me.

Anything else you want to say to the AFROPUNK audience as a way of introduction?

I look forward to meeting as many of you as I possibly can, and cannot wait for us to be a part of each others memory of AFROPUNK Johannesburg 2018!

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

MEET QUEER RAP DUO, KEABRUH&JAY.B

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

MEET SOUL POP VOCALIST/RAPPER, THE RICKY TYLER SHOW

MEET ELECTRONIC SINGER-SONGWRITER, SIỎ

MEET AFRO-FOLK SINGER-GUITARIST, SERATI

MEET IKATI ESENGXOWENI, A SOULFUL ACOUSTIC DUO

MEET AFRO-POP/SOUL SINGER, LUIS_THEDON