18 June 2021 Johannesburg – From Botswana to the world, singer songwriter Samantha Mogwe has released visuals to her song Beautiful. The song Beautiful is a fusion of Neo-Soul, Afro-Beats and Trap-Soul, written by Samantha over a period of 2 years, and finally arranged and produced by KD Bangers who is a Zambian producer, based in Botswana. The song takes you on a journey, exploring the emotions that come with affirming your position of being capable of shining, despite the narrative that is perpetuated in society of planting seeds of self-doubt and questioning whether you are deserving of good things happening for you and to you. .
The single was released on April 2nd and the visuals went live at 0900HR C.A.T on Thursday 10th June 2021. The visuals were directed by Benstar the Cinematographer with special appearances by Angie Amba and Stellar Atsile, who are great dancers in their own right.
Stream song here
https://open.spotify.com/album/5nLBrmDUvqcUJuKd0ZX7Rp
Technology has made it so easy to connect with people in neighbouring countries even more so during such a pandemic – we were excited to get a moment with Mogwe to talk about her music and her future plans and this is what she had to say:
Where have you been hiding musically?
⁃ It’s been hard to find inspiration, especially because I often draw from observing other people creating and showcasing their art (fashion, portrait drawings, live music shows etc). But I’ve now found ways to churn the creativity through having conversations with people who’s ideas don’t always match mine, reading books, watching documentaries. I’ve been trying to create a climate that’s conducive for lucid ideas to flow. This is all thanks to the new normal that has come with COVID19 and quarantines
Having taken 2 years to birth this master piece – what emotions flowed through you when release day came?
⁃ anxiety, excitement, fear, all the emotions you can think of. The sound of “Beautiful” was quite different from anything I had ever worked on and so I was nervous as to how it would be accepted. I guess it also has to do with the producer I had chosen to work with, KD Bangers. As an artist, you get to a point where you have to make peace with releasing music because most artist never feel that their work is ready to be heard and then sit on that unreleased material indefinitely.
Watch the official visuals of Beautiful by Samantha Mogwe below
How has the lockdown affected your brand?
⁃ I’d like to think of my brand as a multifaceted brand. I was on radio, co-hosting a midday show on Gabz Fm when the Covid 19 madness began, and so although the musical aspect of my brand was affected, I was still working as a radio presenter. On the plus side, the lockdown gave me time to re-think and adjust what was not working. It’s given me room to see where I would like to invest my energy and time which is a great place to be at. So in a nutshell, COVID19 has not really affected my brand as negatively as one would assume because I have been forced to adapt and morph.
From your single Queen to Beautiful – which was the hardest to write and why?
⁃ “Queen” was harder to write. I wasn’t telling my story and so I had to get the words right, become more compassionate and empathetic in my approach as I celebrated strong women.
⁃ “Beautiful” was easier, especially after I had my daughter. Experiencing her existence gave me a sense of clarity in my writing approaching.
When can we get a full body of work.
⁃ I’m currently working on a 7 track EP, which will be out for release in November 2021.
Catch up with Samantha Mogwe on all social media platforms
@SamanthaMogwe
