South African artist Moonchild Sanelly lights up WOMAD festival with evening of future ghetto funk

Nestled in the backstage bar area, I’m able to spot Moonchild Sanelly instantly. Her fantastically big, beautiful blue hair sets her apart from the crowd a mile away. Cuddling a crocheted blue octopus in one arm, she greets me with a big hug as I make my way over to her. I can’t help but feel that Moonchild often finds herself the life and soul of the party wherever she goes. With an infectious smile and mischievous energy, she is able to both charm with her playful demeanour, whilst also presenting herself as someone who is not to be underestimated. She touches on this notion in her latest release ‘sweet & savage’, performed recently on COLORS Shows. On tour promoting her new music, Moonchild mentions that she has many more surprises, other than previously supporting Die Antwoord on tour, up her sleeve.

WORDPLAY Magazine were given exclusive access to WOMAD festival, based in the idyllic South West English countryside; Charlton Park in Malmesbury. Amongst sky high beechwoods and to the backdrop of African drumming, I delved into the mind of one of South Africa’s most exciting rising Hip-Hop stars.

So what do you think of WOMAD so far?

MS: So far, the energies been great. I’ve only been here an hour, but the energies just mwah. I haven't been able to explore yet, but I’m ready to slay. I might be leaving here in a body bag, who knows, I’ll have to let the team decide, haha! My team are great, they schedule everything. I’m playing at 9.30 tonight, so I should have some time after. Then we’re going to Bristol tonight. Bristol has the best shopping! I definitely like shopping there and exploring all of the thrift shops - they’re crazy. I’m performing in Amsterdam tomorrow, so it’s just a quick stop. We’ve got a secret show in London coming up next week. It’s a secret to me too! I love surprises - but I can always tell when people are planning surprises because the mood changes. Then I dig! I don’t intend on ruining the surprise but I just dig! They’ve got me on lock, I just love them.

I ask her about the setlist for her performance, but she tells me she lets her team handle that, too, showing her level of trust and admiration towards them. I complement Moonchild on her nails. Long, catlike and of course, blue. She tells me that they’re still on from Glastonbury festival and slightly grown out; but she’s rockin them all the same. I feel like two girls meeting for the first time on a night out in the queue for the bathroom. The energy is light, fun, and feminine. Before breaking into music, Moonchild Sanelly was heavily involved with performing spoken word and poetry.

Would you tell us a bit about your musical journey and what has led you to become the artist you are today?

MS: My musical journey has been..Ok, where should I start? I’ll start with my poetry! You know, it’s crazy because, just because you don’t do something anymore doesn’t mean you aren't still doing it! You know? I don’t really want to be attached to one thing. Why would I try to summarise a book, if the audience isn't really engaging? People need to relate to something to make actual change. Even as a poet I used to fly solo because I would sometimes think - this shit is so dumb. Why are people standing up there saying fuck the system when they’re still living at their mama’s house and they’re thirty five? So you say you understand so much yet you can’t empower yourself? That doesn’t make sense to me. That was my first thing with poetry. And then I got into the Hip-Hop space. In the Hip-Hop space it was great, but I think because I was in the underground Hip-Hop scene the mentality there didn’t rock with my world, either. Because it was also knowing too much, but not being able to do anything about it, so I had to make my own way.

“I just go to fuck shit up, and I do it. I’m always going to make it happen.”

And did you ever feel that you were at a disadvantage as a woman in music?

MS: I didn’t care about it being mainly male. Let me tell you something; when I want something I don’t look at the hindrances at all, I just deal with it. I don’t prepare myself for anything. I just go to fuck shit up, and I do it. I’m always going to make it happen. That’s my attitude in general, so I never really think about stuff like that. When I deal with males, when I’m in the studio; they wanna hit it and I’ve had to learn to say no to weenies after my sessions because, just no. It’s so crazy - some of them are so desperate, they’ll tell you like - this song is so this and that, and I’m just like - whatever. I know my power, and it’s gunna happen anyway. I don’t have to fuck you for that! I’ve never really cared about men, I’ve just had to learn how to handle them for my mission.

In your single ‘sweet & savage’ you reference being with women; would you tell me more about your experience of being bisexual?

MS: I had written ‘I like boys, I nibble on girls now and then’ back then, and then I was like; hmmm well it’s such a nice hook that I don’t wanna waste it. And now, it’s being sung after the experience of dating a girl, so I changed to; ‘I like girls, I nibble on boys now and then’. So before it was written based on my curiosity and now I’ve got more experience. I’ve got better hand work and everything (we both giggle), so I felt like I was more equipped to own it. That’s where the lyrics ‘you gotta be good with your hands’ came from! I’m currently dating a boy, but hey, I’m more equipped now! And he loves me, so.

Moonchild Sanelly then breaks into a little rendition of Central Cee’s ‘Doja’, she raps, ‘How can I be homophobic, my bitch is gay.’ I find Moonchild’s willingness to be so open about her bisexuality refreshing and endearing.

“I’m sweet but I’m savage - I’ll fuck you up with a smile. Quick time.”

MS: It’s also about, like, just come correct or don’t come at all. Also to all the mean people, I was like, I’m sweet but I’m savage - I’ll fuck you up with a smile. Quick time. I’ll tell you to your face. My circle is small because I’m very direct and a lot of people are sensitive, but I don’t really care what people think when it comes to speaking the truth. I even quit drinking tequila because, honestly, the truth I was speaking was too much for them. Sometimes my words have thorns, so when it’s morning and I have to say I’m sorry - I hate it - because I can’t say; I’m sorry, but I meant it! Fuck that shit, I’m always going to own my truth.

Moonchild gets distracted by a man walking past, she tells me he’s famous for being at the front of the main stage at numerous festivals. She tells me she’s danced with him twice. She’s amazed, it’s adorable. Moonchild has a wondrous, childlike energy that is quite frankly; captivating.

I want to ask you about your self created genre ‘future ghetto funk’ can you explain the sound to us?

MS: I started the genre because I was bored of everything that existed. I thought to myself, I really wanna have fun with this. I don’t wanna play it safe, you know? I created it back in 2007. So it started with a song called ‘Red eye’. I had this vision of an animation in my head, and everytime was the same, there were bright disco lights and different characters. Whenever I used to see this vision I’d think to myself ‘shit’s about to fly!’ (part of Red eye’s hook) That's kind of when and how the genre was created. Fortunately my producer at the time was already exposed to so many different types of music, he was like, I think we can do something here. I let him know about the lyrics I had in my head, about the vision, the energy and the action I wanted, and he was like - I got you. From there future ghetto funk really popped off and I’ve never looked back. Obviously doing my own thing takes longer because there’s no one to reference so it’s just me, yano? But it’s totally worth it because I’m not trying to do anything that's already been done. I don’t want to sing for the sake of just singing, I want to do it my way. A lot of my songs are just fun, I’ve even written a love letter to my ass!

“I write the music I needed to hear as a kid. I write for my past self but also my present self because that’s how I lift myself up.”

Would you say that liberation and self expression are the most important things to you when creating music?

MS: Yes, definitely, naturally. There have been songs i've written before, and I end up going through certain situations later, and always going back to my songs to lift me back up. I feel like there is definitely a spiritual foresight when you’re just being your authentic self. Sometimes I think, how the hell am I living this song verse by verse? When I wrote about a situation and I didn’t live it like that at the moment but then would find myself living my words later. Like if a friend of mine is going through something and I write thinking about the advice I would give them, I start giving it to myself as well. It’s crazy because then I feel like I was born to use my voice. I’m always in the song. I feel like I belong here. I used to say that I write for the little girl who didn’t know the difference between being violated and what people say sex should feel like. You know, we’d all used to sing ‘I’m horny, horny, horny, horny’ but not even be thinking about sex. My cousin molested me when I was young and I didn’t know at the time that it was molestation. If there wasn’t a song that made me question things, I wouldn’t have questioned this violation - because it didn’t feel like any song that talks about celebrating sex. As a kid, I didn’t even feel like I was hiding something because they made me feel like it was all me doing it. I say now that I write the music I needed to hear as a kid. Then I realised through living the songs years after I’d written them, that I write for my past self but also my present self because that’s how I lift myself up.

I’m impressed with Moonchild’s ability to speak so candidly about an experience that may have previously caused her shame. She carries herself with a graceful confidence that could be viewed as inspiring for any victim of sexual abuse, and feel grateful she shared her thoughts about it with me.

You come from South Africa, how do you think your experience of where you’ve lived influences you?

MS: I was brought up in Port Elizabeth then I moved to Derben to study fashion. I also started my music in Derben, then moved to Johannesburg. South Africans are spicy, you can tell from my accent that I’m not from the places I’m always at. I think the experience of being brought up by my Grandmother really influenced my music. Me being with an independent woman. My mum would tell me ‘you’re not cooking’ because you need the most beautiful hands, and the most beautiful legs, and stuff like that - but she always used to say that she spoilt me, not just because my dad wasn’t around, but because she wanted me to feel like I could be a god.

Moonchild Sanelly then points out Tank from Tank and the Bangers walking backstage. She tells me that they were supposed to play together once in Wales but she was put into the ICU with malaria so the gig didn’t happen. She tells me that she heard about Tank and the Bangers through someone from London that she met in Spain, and that the person said ‘this person reminds me of you’ , a compliment she was very happy to receive. ‘She’s dooope! This is crazy!’ she says whilst trying to get a better view of her. I later saw on her Instagram that Moonchild and Tank finally got to meet at WOMAD, celebrated by a beaming photo of the pair hugging each other.

“You have to know your story to really make it. You need to have a backbone otherwise you’ll end up being a has-been before you’re a has-were!”

Do you think moving to Johannesburg had a big impact on you?

MS: Yes, because Johannesburg is like being in a ‘big apple’ I guess sort of like living in London. It’s a creative hub. You either do it or you don’t. You have to be hungry. You have to be sure about what you’re doing. It’s a dog eat dog place. I come from a very quiet city, so even moving to Derben was a big change. I thought, wow, people here move faster than light, and I needed to pick up the pace. I thrive there, I have so much energy that I just love it there. I enjoyed my back being against the wall. You have to know your story to really make it. If you don’t know what time it is - you’re fucked! You need to have a backbone otherwise you’ll end up being a has-been before you’re a has-were!

How was touring with Die Antwoord?

MS: Epic! Like, it’s crazy because they’re just like crazy creative. I remember the first time I saw them on TV, the first time I saw Yolandi on the red carpet, and I just thought that person is a bit of me. I remember before touring with them that I messaged them two years prior, then we finally met and we partied and stuff and they tagged me in a picture, and they were like ‘oh shit - it’s her!’ They saw that I had been wanting to work with them, it was ridiculous because I was picked up that way! In South Africa, if you don’t have a model-C accent, like a private school accent, then it’s like ‘oh my god’, they will accuse you of not knowing your English. But out in the world, you flourish. What I saw from Die Antwoord is that because their Afrikaans accent is thicker, it really worked out in the world. We clocked each other. Their creative process is incredible. Ninja told me once because I was five minutes late, he told me not to worry and said that ‘I’ve never been late, this is South African time’. People are so used to musicians being late but it’s not normal out in the world. There’s no African time out in the world - so be on time and deliver. Respect people’s time.

I thank Moonchild Sanelly for her time and we once again give each other a big hug as we say goodbye. Moonchild’s set later that evening was just as I expected, unapologetically upbeat and full of big energetic attitude.

Interview: Jessica Holmes

Pictures: Mike Massaro