Sanelisiwe Twisha is ringing off an unapologetic tribal neologism and cultural earth’s crust, akin to an extra virgin olive oil, with specific sweet as well as tangy flavour — typically made kind of culinary; served alongside a rather high-protein “Platypoecilus maculatus” nourishment.
Pushing the limits in an era where a strive to always hit a nasal twang on a beat is spinning on a rotary motion, which has given a new lingo to claps, high hats as well as filters; the heated South African creative performing artist comes through as part of a global new wave of musicians, hitting the target, with a sound best opined as: “Of a reinvented unconventional — amalgamation of genres and styles — stupid funk!”
Using Moonchild Sanelly as a moniker, she has joined berceuse aristocrats: Rihanna (Barbadian), Amy Winehouse (English), Lorde (New Zealand), Sia (Australian), Nelly Furtado (Canadian) as well as American lilt aces: Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, SZA, P!nk, Julia Michaels, H.E.R, Meghan Trainor, Skylar Grey, Selena Gomez, Jhené Aiko, and Kehlani; who have “exorbitantly” steeple chased on this — maverick boundary transcending — godsend carriage train!
Ginormous pioneering inductees stay ahead of the game; the latter composition gems have and are still sweeping auditory sensation hearers as well as pundits off their feet; with a unique blend of tone, mannerism, lyricism, rhythmicity, dash, spiritualism and execution — which has “stuck” — sounding good!
Like an out-of-the-way Anglo-Saxon deity, descending a new world order, besides the latter reference point of keys, croons as well as trills having — albeit, a bop by fruit hanging issues — loosened up Moonchild Sanelly’s stiff upper lip; this hallmark would — in the flesh — proceed to as well oddly raise a red-hot breed of lethal “go-as-you-please” navigators.
The likes of American singer and songwriter Billie Eilish, Tems a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer, Zimbabwe-born singer-songwriter Sha Sha, Doja Cat an American rhymer, singer, composer and record producer, South African singer and songwriter Tyla, as well as Libianca a Cameroonian-American singer; are “hairsplitting” torch bearers of elastic sonic oeuvres.
Becky G an American songster and actress, South African rapper, actress and poet Sho Madjozi, Ella Mai an English Rhythm & Blues singer-songwriter, American Hip Hop knocker and singer Lizzo, Tyler Page a South African singer and songwriter, as well as American duo: singers, librettists, record producers and actresses — Chlöe x Halle; are keeping the listener’s ear all the way through!
In the same way, to how the latter symphony façades are influencing a nonconformist crusade; today, singer-songwriter and dancer Moonchild Sanelly, is blasting stereos with banging anthems that are thatching broadcasting frequencies! Her jubilant return on the bulletin headlines is whirred by a pristine tune termed ‘Scrambled Eggs’, produced by Johan Hugo (Karlberg) a renowned melody producer, songwriter, and mix engineer; bossing — having dialed into British musician, songwriter and actress Self Esteem, American singer and songsmith Miguel, as well as British Hip Hop knocker, record producer and singer M.I.A.
- Record breaker Mpofu revisits difficult upbringing
- Tendo Electronics eyes Africa after TelOne deal
- Record breaker Mpofu revisits difficult upbringing
- Greatkhalister in Comrades Marathon debut
Keep Reading
“When I started staying in the ‘good’ hotels, I noticed how the world is obsessed with avo and eggs for breakfast. It became a thing…you get avo and eggs for breakfast at the ‘good’ places. My writing recently has been me at my most humble. And ‘Scrambled Eggs’ is me reminding everyone: ‘By the way, I am that bitch! I’m a multi-passport artist travelling the world in custom designs and doing it all on my terms. And I’m really f**king proud of that,” Moonchild Sanelly said.
Incarnated, ‘Scrambled Eggs’ is the first single to smash and grab the lion’s share of tracks to be looped from arguably one of Mzansi’s most unique performer’s pregnant a la mode studio album, primed to conceive pieces of cantabile sensation — well along — this 12-month. Accompanying the spick-and-span audio to ‘Scrambled Eggs’; is a zealously interpreted steamroller of animated avant-garde kiss-and-tell through cinematic, directed by genre-defying film director Jabu Nadia Newman.
Shot last month in Johannesburg; it is a suspenseful, messy as well as happy-go-lucky caper. A fête of female-led business empires, styled by South Africa’s Chloe Andrea Welgemoed, who is also a production designer and fashion consultant. The filmic — featuring costumes by South African designers Siyababa Atelier (Siyabonga Mtshali) and Sihle Masango — is enthused by Johannesburg’s cutting-edge élan as well as friskiness.
“The ‘Scrambled Eggs’ video marks my arrival at the beginning. It’s the beginning of being in ‘that’ space. This new world that this crazy, amazing, powerful, beautiful gang of absolute mother f**kers built together. This world contains everything I’ve ever worked for. These are my people, and this is our superhero moment,” Moonchild Sanelly said.
An imaginative visionary, her tonal pattern-filled childhood, was one of inventive diagnosis. Whether it was self-choreographing dance routines to English girl group The Spice Girls’ records, teaching herself to play the piano, singing at ecclesiastical with her family or scripting poetry; arty mien was at all times heartened!
Doggedly undertaking gears her own way from the get go; Moonchild’s get-up-and-go stunts to flourish, is fuelled by an innate creativity, unique assertiveness as well as extraordinary poise. All buttressed by personal agony, trauma, and an unfathomable conviction as well as vow — to stand up for what she believes in.
A move to Durban in 2005, to study fashion; witnessed her turn out to be immersed in the local auditory communication scene, and later in Johannesburg. Moonchild Sanelly would write for reggae bands as well as freestyle against other rappers; every so often overcoming misogynistic attitudes in the process. She divulged: “In my writing, I would pay homage to my hard times and the many years that I struggled, because it has shaped me.”
Purporting a commercial tactic to flagrantly scatter her message (one of female sexual empowerment), Moonchild who enunciated — “liberation for women, in the bedroom, in the boardroom, knowing your power… I needed to be heard by a lot of people”; shortly found a worldwide audience. She scored invites to perform her infectious lullabies at festivals such as SXSW, Primavera, Glastonbury as well as Boardmasters.
A rarity as an obdurate alternative artist, that has found triumph in a commercial domain; Moonchild Sanelly — who situates her desire down to her mum’s demise when she was a teenager — is a true pugilist and unparalleled force of flora as well as fauna, firmly orating: “I fought everything for me to exist as myself and to win as myself. I was constantly reminded about my magic and my power… that nothing is impossible.”
Charred in a wood-fired euphony oven; her sassy signature, self-described future-ghetto-funk sound — signaled her influx as an artist to watch, with the catapulting of her award-winning first studio toil of numbers titled ‘Rabulapha!’ (2015). As joining forces with fellow South African hit connoisseurs: Disc Jockey, record producer, songster and ballad maker DJ Maphorisa, Sho Madjozi who is also a singer and songwriter, as well as Thandiswa Mazwai a musician, lead vocalist and songwriter of Bongo Maffin (a South African kwaito music group, formed by Zimbabwe-born DJ Jah Seed, in Johannesburg) — played up; thinking out of the box clearly stuck up as a no brainer for Moonchild Sanelly.
High-profile Quislingism with Nigerian singer and songsmith Wizkid as well as Beyoncé Knowles-Carter an American vocalist, lyricist and businesswoman (jumping on the donut ‘... My Power’, as part of ‘The Lion King: The Gift’ soundtrack — in 2019), and a tap on English virtual band Gorillaz’s birdcall ‘With Love to An Ex’ (2020); would see her catch the attention of Major Lazer — a Jamaican-American electronic dance music as well as disc Jockey trio.
Grant Moyo is a prolific writer, innovative media personality, entrepreneur and a creative artist who is passionate about using his creative mind for the betterment of society. Follow him on X: @TotemGrant
