CAMAGWINI

Camagwini: The Artist and her Album

The Artist: - No Afro-soul female artist is as brave and daring as the stunning and imposing Nubian-looking princess Camagwini, whose name reflects Africans’ connection with spiritual divine intervention and ancestral worship. Camagwini will stop at nothing in ensuring that her presence, both in the physical and through her vocal delivery of her soul but Afro-rooted music, is felt throughout the music world and resonates through rivers and valleys of eMzansi.

Camagwini, truculently shy and purposely truant and withdrawn, until her soulful and ancestrally textured voice challenges the listener to pay attention, is a breath of fresh air in the South African music scene. Camagwini’s songwriting skills portray her as an orator and a culturally relevant young artist whose compositions show an uncompromising attitude and conviction to her Xhosa and true African heritage.

Camagwini who writes and brags about African beauty of the soul and shades of blackness, and who finds solace in African (s)heroism and black pride whilst challenging those who lack rhythm in their black souls, poses serious introspection to skeptical musicologists who thought new age songwriting lacked depth and inspiration.

Camagwini’s music influence and her comfort in soulful interpretations of Afro-traditional comes from observing, participating and interpreting Xhosa folklore songs performed by elderly women of her village in the rural Eastern Cape and transported by migrant workers to the city of Port Elizabeth where she grew up in the township of New Brighton.

Armed with these folklore, legends, customs and tradition, Camagwini took this truly African experience with her to the City of Johannesburg and decided to enter the highly competitive the music industry, which already has been graced triumphantly by her peers to record her debut album ‘Zivile’.

The Album: - Produced by the Award Winning Producer, Malambule (producer of double platinum and multi-award winning artist, Thandiswa) and founder of Native Rhythms Productions, an album of this nature only takes vision, passion, hope, belief and the need to create music that is not a regurgitation of stuff the industry has heard before. The album is an Afro-soul dish spiced with various elements from the world’s leading musical ingredients, i.e. soul, Afro-jazz, classical, Maskandi, Xhosa traditional and even Indian Bangra music: it is a fusion of everything beautiful about sound.

Recorded by South Africa’s best and leading session artists, such as Fana Zulu Jimmy Mngwandi, and Mlungisi Gegana all on Bass, Kwazi Shange on drums, Tlale Makhene on percussions, Gabriel Stuurman, Luyanda Madope and Victor Mbotho all keyboards, brass section by Sphamandla Bhembe, Jeff Nomvete, and Jabu Mdluli, Bulgarian led string section by Strings by Miro Chakaryan (Violin), Melale Mantu (Violin), Susan Mouton (Cello); with leading female backing vocalist Khululiwe Sithole, Siphokazi Maraqana, and Sipho Sithole (not Malambule). The album is traditionally laced with the melodic sound of the Maskandi guitar by Nothi Ntuli and concertina by Zaba ‘Skhindi’ Zondi whilst Steve Zulu and Joel Klein give the album a nice fusion of Afro-soul and jazzy played acoustic and electric guitar(s).

It is beautifully crafted to appeal to the world music lovers who have an appreciation of artistic expressions with a cultural twist to it, whilst remaining truly global in style. Listeners will find a favourite song throughout the album and would most likely confuse the album as a compilation of Camagwini’s greatest hits whilst it is her debut album after all.

Be Inspired! Be Very Inspired!

ANOTHER NATIVE RHYTHMS PRODUCTION BY MALAMBULE

Camagwini’s Accolades

• Has been nominated twice for the South African Music Awards 2008 – Best Adult Contemporary Album and Best New Comer Category.
• Performed at the annual MTN Jazz Festival at Hazelmere Dam, Kwazulu Natal on 26 December 2007.
• Performed at Attredgeville Jazz Festival 2007
• Performed at Bluesroom Village Walk – Afro- Soul Evening along her stablemates Siphokazi and Musa 2007
• Performed at Birchwood – Oude Meester East Comes Alive Jazz 2008
• Performed at Randfontein Green Stadium
• Performed at Diamonds and Dorings Music Jazz Festival, Kimberly 2008
• She is also to Showcase her talent in London in June 2008
• Camagwini also performed at the 8th Metro FM Music Awards that took place in PE on 24th November 2007.
• Camagwini is on www. Facebook.com – search for Camagwini Buti
• Camagwini is on www.myspace.com/camagwinibuti

General Enquiries:
Contact Native Rhythms Productions
Telephone (011) 447- 5600/ 082 725 3990
or send fax to (011) 880-7987,
Attention: Sduduzo Myeni
E-mail: sduduzo@nativerhythms.co.za