Thandiswa Mazwai Tells Us Everything We Need To Know About Her Tiny Desk Concert

Thandiswa Mazwai

Thandiswa Mazwai has said that getting ready for her upcoming Tiny Desk Concert performance is one of the hardest and most personal live shows she has ever done.

Kings Tha, as her fans call her, got off to a great start to the year by appearing on NPR Music, an American video series of live shows that is at the forefront of digital innovation.

Since its start in 2008, the popular site has been used by artists like Usher, FKA Twigs, Ed Sheeran, Black Motion, Justin Bieber, Black Coffee, Tems, Burna Boy, Davido, Giveon, Megan Thee Stallion, and more to hold 15- to 30-minute live shows.

Mazwai told Sowetan that her trip was one to remember because it had been so long since she had been to North America.

What do you mean? This is Tiny Desk. When I was first asked, we were so excited. I really wasn’t meant to say anything about it, but I got too excited and started dropping hints, which made my PR crazy. Askies Maria McCloy, she said.

This is the first time I’ve done promotion in North America since Zabalaza, my first album by myself. There is a lot of talk about this trip, which is what was meant.

Getting ready for such a small crowd was really hard, but I’m glad my team and I were able to do it. I really enjoyed how personal it felt and how friendly the team was.

Mazwai said some more about her experience recording the mini-concert format. She said the cold weather in Washington, DC, on the day of shooting last week surprised her.

They [the Tiny Desk team] usually want shows to last between 15 and 18 minutes. We did five songs, with some of them cut down. Since the show was filmed in DC on a cold day, I thought, Yeah, wear a leather dress. Looking back, I see how stupid that was. So, get ready for some sweaty scenes, she said with a laugh.

I was scared. I get really nervous before every show. Giving in to the gift is what makes it possible for you to change. Nerves will always be there because they are a part of becoming a conduit or sound healer.

Mazwai also played at the 21st GlobalFEST at Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts in New York City on January 14.

GlobalFEST is one of the best places in New York City to see music from around the world. A term for music that may have a very specific feel for a certain area. One that isn’t American or dance music. It could be about native music or a mix of different kinds of music from around the world, she said.

In all my years as a singer, I rarely know how to answer when people ask me how a crowd received me. After the show, someone told me it felt like a “sonic baptism,” and other people said nice things about it on my social media. There were also my good friends Nduduzo Makhathini and Skin from Skunk Anansie.

Another artist, Mazwai, is in the US to support her new album Sankofa and look for a new management company since her 20-year agent died last year.

A local audience sings along, which is different from a foreign audience, she said. That’s what I love most about the South African audience: they really get into the idea of singing together.

There is a way for the music to be moved when we are out of the country without the audience’s echo.

Thandiswa Mazwai Tells Us Everything We Need To Know About Her Tiny Desk Concert

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