Everyone wanted to know me and my music

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Queen of wedding songs Makhadzi described her recent trip to France as superb, revealing and a learning curve in many beneficial ways.

She just returned from France last week, where she participated in the Midem Artist Accelerator programme at Cannes.

A resident of Ha-Mashamba in the Makhado area, Makhadzi, or Ndivhudzannyi Ralivhona, said that the trip to France was a milestone in her life.

“Going to France was the best thing that happened in my music career,” she said. “They showed me so much support, I was feeling like a star. Being on the plane for more than 12 hours was extremely existing (exhausting or exciting?)and we had to connect at Dubai. Honestly speaking, Dubai is a beautiful place, even though I was there for only two hours.”

She added that the people at Cannes were ever so friendly and accommodating. The town was clean and neat. ''Their infrastructure gives the place a light mood of good life,” she said. “I had my Tshivenda beads and attire, so everywhere white people came for pictures with me. They admired my Tshivenda attire and the best part was when I performed. They had artists from all over the world on one stage, people like Siphokazi, and Theolodge.”

She stated that she knew right there that African music was universal. She said that her first song was Rudo Rhwangu and everyone started cheering, giving her more power and strength to dance. “The crowd went crazy, so I got booked for another show on the spot,” she said. "The attitude towards me from other artists also changed after my performance, and I know I made my fans and Venda and South Africa proud. Everyone wanted to know me and my music.”

Makhadzi managed to network with some international artists and brands, so a good posibility exists of her heading to New York in September and the United Kingdom in December this year. “It's amazing when you check the time and it's 21:00 but it's still clear like daytime and you know back in SA it's dark,” she said. “It was hot like summer the whole week but their weather is unpredictable 'cause it might be sunny during the day and drizzle at night. I learnt a lot at music workshops and meetings.”

She thanked Rita Dee Entertainment and all the people who had contributed to her music career. “I believe when you have the right team to work with, everything is possible,” she said. “Dreams do come true. I had to pinch myself in the hotel, thinking of where I started.”

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.