SA musician Mimi on the magic of jazz

Born and raised in the East Rand, Mimi Linda Mtshali's love for music was cultivated at home.

30 Mar 2022

Image supplied: Mimi

She won the Best Jazz Album for the Metro FM Awards and the multilingualism and nation-building female artist of the year. A true force to be reckoned with, Mimi has been entwined with the magic of music since she was a child.

“My earliest memory, or rather, my first performance was when I was 12 years old, at my teacher's wedding. The song was When A Child Is Born. I was wearing blue palazzo pants and a white blouse,” she said.

This was the start of a blossoming music career. “Writing my own music gives me the chance to express myself with authenticity and to sing about my life stories, experiences and observations,” she said.

We caught up with her to find out more about her music, the South African music industry and what is so special about jazz…

Tell us a bit about yourself and your music.

I come from the East Rand, Vosloorus. I’m a mother of two beautiful kids. I’m an introvert but I always come out when I am singing. I’m very passionate about music and the role that it plays. I come from a family that loves and appreciate music so much.

Did you always want to be a musician?

I kinda feel like music chose me because even when I was a child I used to spend most of my time listening to music. I would always check out different artists and try to emulate what they were doing.

What is special about jazz to you?

Jazz is a very special art form and I’m so glad I had the privilege to go and study it. It possesses a lot of rhythm, it allows me freedom to be creative and spontaneous at the same time. I absolutely enjoy the improvisation that it allows.

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Can you give us some highlights in your career?

My first highlight would be when I won my first award for the Metro FM Best Jazz album and also the Pan and African Multilingualism Best Female Album. The most recent one is the Mzantsi best Female jazz award.

How has the pandemic affected you personally in your career?

The pandemic has been very tough on all of us as musicians. It took away the chance to connect with the live audience and forced me - us - to find other ways to be creative.

What challenges do you think the South African music industry faces today?

The South African industry has so many challenges; corruption, insufficient infrastructure, the industry not being regulated. All of these factors and more have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

What changes do you think could be made to overcome these challenges?

That’s a difficult question to answer. But seeing as we are moving into the fourth industrial revolution we can also be strategic in our thinking and start digitalising and selling our South African music internationally.