Jazz it out

She is writing her own chapter in arts and entertainment books. As a creative and an entrepreneur, she continues to push boundaries, expanding her artistic endeavours with a festival that is a celebration of heritage, culture and creativity. Her artistry extends beyond the realm of music, beyond her musical exploits. Most importantly, her number one desire is to leave an indelible mark.

Pilani Bubu is a storyteller, singer, songwriter, TV presenter and creative entrepreneur. “Personally, I am hard-wired as a humanitarian. I believe in betterment of humanity and making the world a better place. I am moved and energized by how people relate in the world and its beauty we all try to make”, she told Jazz It Out. The relationships this creative has established over the years is something she takes prides in. Furthermore, she believes everything she has done in her personal and professional career has always been about the people.

Like most musicians, she was raised in a household where the love of music was big though dormant. “My aunts, uncles, and parents all loved music and were part of something musical in their youth including church, singing and learning instruments”, she said. The struggles of apartheid and prioritization of Black liberation was a distraction for them. That love became more prominent through their offspring. “I must say though, creative expression is not only confined to creative production, but also about creative consumption”, she added.

Pilani Bubu. Picture by Carlos Frazao

Her brother Apiwe Bubu, her twin sister Ezile Bubu and niece Amanda Benedicta Antony (popularly known as Amanda Black) are professionals. “My brother is a pianist, producer, composer and engineer”, she said. Apiwe studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, US and runs his own studio in Los Angeles called Global Sound Studio and is a curator of SA music focused parties in L.A. Ezile is a budding gospel artist who primary focuses on giving her time to worship and church. She is expected to release an album soon. Amanda who is a former Idols contestant did a hit song “Amazulu” and more.

Her childhood memories are filled with road trips with her family when she and Ezile fell in love with music. “We started to realize our love for harmony and improvisation on the music we were listening to on holiday trips with our parents”, she recalls. Their early music lessons began with playing recorder and marimba. “We loved school assemblies and chapel, enjoyed singing through the school hymn book which we took home every day to sing together in our bedroom from top to bottom, any moment we got”, she added.

In their early teens, the twins started playing in the school violin ensembles, later Johannesburg Youth Orchestra and Pretoria Stepp Orchestra. “Throughout our childhood, my sister and I wanted to be wherever the music was. We sang in all the singing groups in school and university, big classical-contemporary choirs, Northern Gauteng Youth Choir, folk groups, African choral to jazz chamber choirs”, she explained. Pilani’s journey has always been unfolding as a musician and storyteller. These were early signs that she was destined to become a creative one day.

Pilani’s debut album released in 2012

Folk, Motown soul and RnB were her favourite genres when she was at high school. “I fell in love with melancholic folk singers such as Tracy Chapman, Sarah McLachlan, Sinead O’Connor, The Cranberries and more”, with vivid memories. She also felt the great impact of blues and soul movement in the US, the influence of The Jacksons, the story behind The Supremes and how that influenced artists like Boys II Men. “Not forgetting the influences of musical theatre, the American songbook and parallel stories of Jazz being carried by Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billy Holiday, Nina Simone and more”, she added.

Pilani has no regrets about becoming a full time musician. “I did that when I quit my corporate job, 13 years ago in 2011 to pursue my solo career”, she said. Before going full time as a musician, she tried medicine as her parents wanted her to become a doctor. She eventually settled for law and commerce, did a B Comm: LLB because she wanted to be a constitutional court judge. But she was aware that her creativity needed space. “My B Comm included economics, business management, marketing and law. I ended up working in a more creative environment, in marketing agencies”, she added. Interior design and musical theatre are things she picked up later.

Her musical prowess knows no bounds as she effortlessly weaves through jazz, folk, soul, at times RnB and electronic sounds often interweaved with poetry, spoken word and sometimes rap, showcasing her versatile artistry, with a pure angelic voice, a great sense of clarity that heals and resonates with deep intentionality. “Music and singing came first. Poetry and spoken word came later, as a way to help me expand on the messages I wanted to share and unpack”, she said. This was a way of deepening the stories that meant something important for her on stage, between the music.

Her second album released in 2016

This extremely talented artist and global citizen has independently produced and released seven albums, whose storytelling narratives are in a league of their own. Each album takes the listener on an extraordinary journey through her own lived experience, evoking raw emotions, the essence of love, light and the unbreakable spirit within all of us. Her debut album “Journey of a Heart” (2012) was about heartbreak and dualities of life people carry. Quite simply, Khalil Gibran holds the message of that album best we he said: “Your joy is sorrow unmasked, and the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears”.

After the success of her debut album, she decided to quit the corporate field to become a full time musician. She started travelling globally singing and expressing her own light and enlightenment. Pilani took on a pursuit of joy, becoming a vessel for change and healing through music. The songs from her second album “Warrior of Light” (2016) were written from different countries and spaces she was at. They were also an expression of coming out of a heartbreak, and the big life changes she made quitting her job, to reflect the glory that is in her.

“Music Love” was written in New Orleans. “Free” and “Sweet Love” were written in the South of France (outside Toulouse) at a residency with other musicians from around the world. “Promised Land” was written on a flight to another residency, about New Orleans and finding places that feel like home and more like the people and creatives she wanted to be closer to. “Heaven” was written during her time in New York, doing musical theatre at the New York film academy. “Sometimes” and “Home” were written in Dublin, Ireland during one of musical explorations in that part of Europe.

Folklore Chapter 1 released in 2019

Her music transcends mere entertainment. It is an expedition through the very essence of existence. The release of “Folklore Chapter 1” (2019) led to the conceptualization of the Folklore Festival which she is extremely passionate about. “The idea being carried through is, the exploration of how to embody, document and archive ideas of our identity, culture and heritage through the technology of music”, she said. It was also about noting the bigger conversations to be had, and the full expressive body of culture which is Folklore. “The festival and folklore community were an invitation to others to contribute to this ongoing archive through this platform”, she added.

“Lockdown Lovestory” (2022) was released during a difficult period of COVID. The story was recorded as poetry in real-time as she went through the beginning and end of a relationship during this period. “The poetry was turned to song through virtual collaboration with Kenyan producers Samuel Sichangi and Sean Peevers a.k.a. AfroNautic. There were in person moments in Kenya and in Cape Town with local musicians as well like Bradley Prince and Ludwe Danxa while I was recording another unreleased project”, she explained. The project vocals, production, mixing and mastering was done in Budapest with András Weil. Pilani was happy with the cross continental collaboration this project delivered.

In 2023, she once again teamed up with AfroNautic in “Konke”. Whenever she was in Kenya their collaboration had always been ongoing, beyond the song “As We Lay” that spring boarded “Lockdown Lovestory”. After a series of meaningful studio intersections over two years, the work they had written was telling a story of inner thoughts of an artist and the creative pursuit. “We documented our struggles in self and with our engagement with others, and so was the collection of raw feelings, one takes, and documentations of our studio time together. It was all of it – KONKE as the album expresses”, taking pride in the body of work. The project is more alternative soul, with a fusion of dance genres: zouk, East African wave, jungle, afro house and afro beats.

Lockdown Lovestory released in 2022

“Folklore Chapter 2” (2023) is a continuation from the 1st Chapter released in 2019. “It talks more to a different aspect of my identity which is African Spirituality”, she said. The recording embodies the documentation of Folklore pertaining to rituals, rites of passage, lineage, ancestry and it also works hard to use rhythms, language, Southern African instrumentation and styles to be treasured, documented and archived for the next generation. Her commendable musicality has garnered her recognition, including the prestigious accolade of Best African Adult Contemporary Album at the South African Music Awards in 2020 for “Folklore Chapter 1”.

Pilani’s live performances are well curated and very exceptional. They combine singing with storytelling, while doing motivational talk all at once, something she does intentionally. “I am always very clear of what story to be told because each project is designed as a story and carries a clear message. There is so much to be unpacked”, she said. At the Folklore festivals, audiences experience “Nay’Indaba” (2024), her latest offering that talks to the history of South Africa and is a strong reflection on Black Liberation and where we find ourselves as a country. It also aligns with the theme of the festival this year #WeTheFolk appealing to a continues pursuit for freedom and a sense of humanity.

People who enjoy her music can expect more of the same from this creative. “Music will always be a storytelling medium for me”, she assured. There is still an unreleased project recorded and finished titled “That Box” that can be expected, and three more chapters of the Folklore series. She is likely to continue touring and growing her career beyond South African borders. “I may lean even harder on entrepreneurship now that I am in my 40s, as my creative flow is in good practice”, she added. She is the owner of a creative lifestyle company called Bupila.

She has this advice for young people that wish to follow in her footsteps: “Stay true to yourself. Authenticity is sustainability. Don’t be afraid of hard work. Bravery will be required. Strengthen yourself from the inside out”. Her most recent performance was at the 25th edition of the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival this past weekend. On Linktree and LinkedIn, she is Pilani Bubu. Follow her on Instagram and Tik Tok @pilanibubu and @PilaniBubu on X. Like and follow her Facebook Page Pilani Bubu. Visit her website www.pilanibubu.com. Follow the Folklore Festival @folklorefestival.za on Instagram and @folklorefestZA on X.