Multi-platinum-selling superstar DJ and producer DBN Gogo hosted a listening session for her debut album ‘Whats Real’ last night at Shine Studios in Braam, a few hours before it dropped.
The album features artists from her label Zikode Records among fellow Amapiano stars Boohle, Mellow & Sleazy, Pabi Cooper and many others.
Before playing the album for the first time, the musician sat down with JR who revealed he was involved in the creation of the album. Gogo delved into the meaning behind the project, the inspiration behind its name, her record label Zikode Records and more.
Below is a summary of the discussion:
DBN Gogo on ‘passion and purpose’:
DBN Gogo’s real name Mandisa translates to “to add”. She explains that her purpose is to live up to the meaning behind her name which is being impactful or beneficial in people’s lives.
She believes that people should never have tunnel vision and states that there’s fresh talent in the SA music scene that artists such as herself should shine the spotlight on in order to grow Amapiano.
So DBN Gogo, “What’s Real”?
DBN Gogo got emotional as she broke down the meaning of the ‘What’s Real’ title. She touched on the self-doubt she has encountered on numerous occasions and the challenges faced in her life, including deciding on her career. To bridge the gap between alternating thoughts due to what was occurring around her, she thought to herself:
“What do I really care about? What do I want people to know about me? What actually matters?”
This album is the result of DBN Gogo taking a leap of faith, trusting herself in making the decision to put out a body of work that, for the first time, wasn’t trending beforehand. ‘Whats Real’, she says, is an album that defines her.
On her record label, Zikode Records
The label that the musician describes as ‘her baby’ opened late last year and is home to the likes of Stixx, Nvcho, DJ Stopper and a few others. “It’s a creative hub more than anything”, expresses the DJ as she shines the spotlight on the Zikode Boys whom she describes as family.
With Zikode Records, DBN Gogo wanted to create a platform for artists who didn’t have the means to, the same way she didn’t have DJing equipment at first. She wanted to provide emerging artists with the tools they needed and wanted, enabling them to put their hearts on a track whenever they desired.
DBN Gogo on the SA music industry:
DBN Gogo emphasises the importance of ‘piano artists taking things more seriously as there are only a few that manage to stay on the charts for at least over a year and expresses how quick they are to turn on one another. “I won’t be on stage forever and there’s so much work to be done behind the scenes. You see how our industry dies because people never wanna let go, never wanna put people on.”
JR concluded the session with a fitting description for the endowed musical sensation, DBN Gogo by stating the following:
“The difference between good and great is consistency and the difference between great and iconic is discipline. Your level of discipline is what makes you stand out and be the successful artist that you are.”
Check out the recap of DBN Gogo's listening session and stream ‘Whats Real’ below:
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