Little Falls musician celebrates launch of first EP
Musician, Zoe Makola shared her musicianship and artistry at the launch of her first EP.
The instruments gleamed against the lights and the stage was set for singer Zoe Makola to make her debut at the launch of her first EP on Friday, May 6.
Zoe, who goes by the stage name Isandi said she felt anxious in the days leading up to the launch, “But now that everyone is here, I am feeling much better. I am excited and looking forward to this evening. For me, this is progression; it’s my first everything. My first event, first EP and one of the few performances I’ve had on stage.”
The Little Falls resident may be recognised as one of the founders of the Story Time In The Park reading sessions, and she explained that her music and artistry are tailored to appeal to the young audience they usually have during the story-time sessions.
She said the process of putting her EP together to finally launching it took half a year and she not only wrote her songs but also co-produced the project. She worked alongside popular South African band The Muffinz, who also joined her on stage.
“What I love about The Muffinz is that they are not only amazing but they respect the aesthetics of music. They don’t want shortcuts, everything must be musical and proper. I am from that school as well so I could relate better to the process and them, because they are younger than I am. That is what made us gel,” she explained.
Isandi is not only a talented singer and songwriter but she also teaches music. The transition from teaching to being a performer was a difficult one. She described it as the equivalent to being in Grade 1. “I had to learn so much. When it comes to sound engineering, I am not of that school. To start with I had to learn the terminology. Every time we were working, I’d ask ‘what’s that?’’’ she laughed. “But it was educational and fun.”
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During the first lockdown in 2020 the musician did some introspection and made the decision to step down from teaching music.
“The first song on the EP is Intyatyambo which symbolises children for me, but in the context of the song, it refers to seasons. However, intyatyambo can also be figurative, in longing to see a loved one or looking forward to something. In my case, it was about my daughter who was hospitalised in 2015 and that’s when I wrote the song because I couldn’t wait for her to come home. She’s my flower, ‘intyatyambo’ and she came back home eventually.”
She added that ‘Minuet For The Dead’ is a dedication to all the people we have lost due to Covid-19. “We have lost a lot of people because of the pandemic. Each song has its own character and I’m still trying to look for myself. I can’t box myself in one genre, hence you’ll see me in the composing space as well. I do orchestration, I’ve got the reading project, I write songs and lullabies for children and stock music. Music is in me,” she concluded.
Intyatyambo is available on all streaming platforms.
