Freshlyground Interview
To try coin Freshlyground‘s definite genre is one impossible exercise. Some days I’m almost confident it’s jazz until I find myself caught up in trying to decipher the variations and tempos of this uniquely sounding outfit. They are undeniably one of the biggest and most successful music bands in Africa with tours across the globe from the Morrocos to the Nairobis of this world, this group in its form is a fusion of diverse artistry and passionate stories about social change and the love for the continent. Youth Village caught up with Freshlyground’s Kyla-Rose to speak about Freshlyground’s achievements, stories and experiences. Check out the interview below.
Youth Village: Your group has been active since the early 2000s how would you describe the journey
Freshlyground: I would say it has been the journey of a lifetime – well really the journey of a decade but filled with wonderful memories and experiences and quite unexpected.
Youth Village: Your group is very diverse with band members from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa how has that helped define your sound?
Freshlyground: The diversity of the different members definitely contributes to the broad scope of our sound. I would say it is a rich soundscape that encompasses the music of all of our countries of origin as well as our influences beyond that. We don’t write anything off as “not being the Freshlyground sound”. All sounds welcome!
Youth Village: How would you coin your genre?
Freshlyground: I think it is better not to try and put things into boxes. In this day and age we strive to be expansive and inclusive – worldly.
Youth Village: Freshly Ground has had huge commercial success locally and abroad what would you say are the elements or attributes that have stimulated this growth?
Freshlyground: We have worked really hard at what we do. From the beginning we all took the band very seriously and believed we could make it work creatively and financially. It has come with difficulty as well – it didn’t just start out easy but you have to roll with the punches in order to come out on top – or at least a few steps ahead of where you began. I think we have also had a little bit of luck – we managed to release a first album that really captured the hearts and ears of our fellow South African’s which propelled us forward and we have had a very loyal fan base ever since.
Youth Village: Your music caters on a wide spectrum of day to day issues from love and life experiences why this subject matter? Why is it important to tell these stories?
Freshlyground: Musicians are storytellers. Modern day poets of sorts and I think you can’t help but tell stories that relate to the world around you.
Youth Village: In 2006 at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Copenhagen, you became the first South African musical act to receive honours from MTV, when you received the MTV Europe Music Award for Best African Act. What was the overall feel and thought process of the whole group winning an award of this stature?
Freshlyground: Very exciting! It is wonderful to be recognised for the work you do.
Youth Village: Your song Chicken to change touched a bit on Zimbabwean politics and really reflected on similar scenarios in Africa.. What was the feedback? Did you feel that musicians had a responsibility to speak on some of the serious issues derailing development in Africa?
Freshlyground: I think it is up to the individual on whether or not they wish to engage with serious political or social issues. The feedback to Chicken to Change was mixed – obviously not everyone agree’s otherwise Mugabe might have lost power in Zim a long time ago. We also had our Zimbabwe visa’s revoked when we released the video – we were about to go to Zim to do a show. The reason we decided to do that song and video is that it is an issue that is close to home for us as one of our members is from Zimbabwe and so the issue does have meaning beyond just being a political issue. But also it is not a totally serious song and does also poke fun at Mugabe – I think it is also good to look at things with a certain sense of humour and not take oneself too seriously, especially as an artist.
Youth Village: How can music be used as a platform to stimulate social positive change?
Freshlyground: As musicians we have a platform. People listen to us. Especially young people and I think that does come with a certain sense of responsibility and it is important to promote a positive message. There are so many negative messages out there that people are faced with everyday – I think all humans should try and spread a bit more positivity into the world and be the change they wish to see around them.
Youth Village: During the 2010 Word Cup you did the Waka Waka song with Shakira what has been some of the elevating stories or experiences stimulated by this collaboration?
Freshlyground: I think the most amazing thing about that collaboration is that we have been fortunate enough to have been involved in the making of a song which has been Fifa’s most successful World Cup anthem to date and so so many people heard it and know it and it is an immediate connection to people all over the world. We could play in the most bizarre places and the audience would probably know Waka Waka.
Youth Village: 2013 where is Freshly Ground Musically?
Freshlyground: We have just released our 5th studio album – Take me To The Dance as well as music video for the first single.
We worked with a wonderful Grammy Award winning producer Steve Berlin and have created an album we are incredibly proud of. We also made the brave and scary move of going completely independent and leaving our record company after 10 years. We are now about to go on tour to the US where we will be releasing our new record through Wommusic. And we are being honoured with a Next Generation award from an NPO called Shared Interest. The award is in recognition of the social outreach work we have done through our collaboration with the Desmond Tutu Foundation. We are also playing a the legendary Apollo Theatre in NYC as part of the Africa Now festival alongside other great young African artists like Nneke and Lionel Louke which is very exciting….so that is a lot so far and I am sure the year will bring more wonderful experiences.
Youth Village: Your band travels across Africa frequently what was your most memorable experience in an African country outside SA?
Freshlyground: It is an incredible privilege to be able to travel through the work you do. Especially when that work is playing in a band to audiences all over the world and being able to meet so many different kinds of people. We have had so many experiences, from midnight traffic jams in Cairo to crazy dark highways filled with more people than cars in Nigeria. The beautiful site of crocodiles watching hippos in the Masai Mara, Kenya. Eating fresh fish in the markets of Maputo. Or fish caught and grilled on an island just off the coast of Tanzania. Private game lodges in Botswana playing for Russian millionaires. Haggling for carpets in the medina’s of Morocco……the list is endless and sometimes it is all like a crazy dream.
Youth Village: What would you like to change about Africa today?
Freshlyground: That is a difficult question. I guess the grinding poverty and inequality that people are faced with.
Youth Village: African youth struggle with a number of issues.. What do you feel are the major ones and what do you feel are some of the solutions to addressing these issues?
Freshlyground: I think there is a huge problem of unemployment which is the result of a historically corrupted education system. I would love for young people to be educated in a more radical way which would encourage the use of their natural gifts and talents. Be taught to think out the box and create their own opportunities rather than trying to tailor themselves to fit into a socially and historically accepted ideal of what it means to be formally “employed”. While there is a huge development gap in Africa I think that the gap also allows for huge amount of opportunity, of self promotion and creation. It leaves a lot of room for people to explore new ways of doing things. We all need to harness our self belief and not allow history or other people to completely define us.
Youth Village: You have a US tour coming soon what message or memory would you want your fans attending your shows to carry about African music?
Freshlyground: The joy and exuberance of African music. As well as the richness and diversity of the culture. And finally the message that although people of the world are all different, we have different cultural traditions and beliefs, different ideas about things but we are also inherently also all the same and want the same simple things out of life.
Youth Village: How can your fans connect with Freshly Ground?
Freshlyground: You can speak to us on Twitter at FreshlygroundSA or on Facebook Freshlyground. You can also check out our gig listings at www.freshlyground.com and you can also buy our new album online off the same site.
