With somewhat revealing outfits in her music videos, at performances and on social media, the \u2018Yebo Mama\u2019 hitmaker demonstrates that it takes a strong woman to attain independence. Moonchild knows what people expect a successful woman to look like, but gives no quarter when expressing her views on female empowerment and sexuality. On her latest album Phases(link is external), Moonchild stands tall by breaking social norms and boundaries.<\/p>\n
Music In Africa spoke to Moonchild, who is the pioneer of her self-coined genre \u201cfuture ghetto punk\u201d, about her 19-track album, her image, the objectification of women in music, and how her sound is perceived outside Africa.<\/p>\n
MUSIC IN AFRICA: What message are you sending in Phases and what inspired the project\u2019s title?<\/p>\n
MOONCHILD SANELLY: This album basically celebrates every shade of women. For instance, if there\u2019s a woman who feels mad and it evokes the feeling of them being a stalker, you will call them a stalker. But for women on their own, they will be like, \u2018I know what that motherfucker made me feel like\u2019, and actually on this record, it\u2019s acceptable. It\u2019s fine because we are different. We go through different phases as women in general, and therefore every part is actually okay. That\u2019s why on the album I celebrate the side chick. I\u2019ve got a song for a side chick to get her mac on a married man. I\u2019ve got nothing to do with the marriage; I\u2019m being realistic about what we are as women and our choices.<\/p>\n
Strippers! I love strippers. I\u2019ve got everything to do with strippers, and I love celebrating them. I love them getting what\u2019s due to them because the girls are working and they\u2019re actually so smart. They\u2019re always working towards something but society deems it as nothing. I celebrate sadness, I celebrate happiness, I celebrate us in different shades. I always say this, \u2018It\u2019s already an adventure sport being a woman.\u2019 This album does not celebrate women\u2019s success based on societal expectations. My themes are the general liberation of women and having a voice all the time.<\/p>\n
What differentiates your previous album Rabulapha! from Phases and what have you improved on musically?<\/p>\n
The difference is, I was not this big and I\u2019m now in a position where I\u2019ve come full 360 commercially. My fans, from whenever they decided to be fans, are all included in this body of work. What I\u2019ve always wanted to do is ultimately bring people to know exactly who I am. And this is the person who\u2019s not necessarily just strategic, because I study markets; I move accordingly and that\u2019s why I\u2018m always on radio stations around the world. The people who know me from Rabulapha! are the alternative kids \u2013 it\u2019s the different kids, the black sheep, the ones who just want to do their own thing, the expressive ones, the individuals … There are those who know I never stopped. I\u2019ve always done things for my soul and my business. That\u2019s my sole business. This album is everything I\u2019ve ever worked towards. This is my sound.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
South African singer Moonchild Sanelly has refused to let others gauge her worth. The 34-year-old does not conform to standards, and uses her music to advocate for women. Along with the microphone, Moonchild uses her body to speak out on matters that she feels passionate about, and has no hesitation in doing so.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":9786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,31],"tags":[7,14,32],"class_list":{"0":"post-9789","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"category-music","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-music"},"yoast_head":"\n