Shotgun Story

A reminder to follow your own vision and trust yourself. You are important. If you're in the entertainment industry, chances are you took a real knock over the past two years! But Naledi Tlailane reckons that the thick skin that entertainers have had to develop from a career full of auditions (and subsequent rejections) helped prepare them for the ultimate "No" of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Naledi Tl...

If the artists think so, it must be true right? Artists, more often than not, head into the dimly lit spaces that most fear to tread. They take the unpalatable aspects of being alive and transmute them into beautiful morsels that make reality and 'adulting' feel less lonely. In this episode, Daniel Friedman takes the driver's seat and shines a spotlight on your host Shotgun Tori's new EP 'It's Gon...

"The business is as important as the product." Bart Janssen is a producer, composer, and guitarist from the Netherlands and working with companies like Universal, Disney, and Talpa, he has developed a strong portfolio. Bart is a well-known session guitar player and has performed with acts like the Backstreet Boys and Il Divo. Aside from producing several radio hits in the Netherlands, his music fe...

“I’m not asking a boy to come to band practice, I’m doing my own music now" Jolene East (Jolling / The Honeymooners) is a singer-songwriter and a ukulele player, who loves to write authentic songs that bring out the emotions in people. Alongside her husband Steve East (Crystal Park / The Honeymooners), she also runs the venue Tweefontein Melkery. In this charming (and delightfully hilarious) episo...

"It's not just about the money, it about a sense of self-worth" Andre Le Roux is the Managing Director of IKS Cultural Consulting, head of the Concerts SA Project, on the board of the Market Theatre Foundation and the Audit and Risk Committee of Music in Africa, as well as the Southern African Focal Point for the African Culture Fund. He is considered a highly regarded African cultural activist, a...

"If you have kids, love them, have fun with them, and show them all of you." Welcome to Episode #10 in a 10-part series on "Parents in the Music Industry" - made possible with funding support from the Music in Africa Foundation, the German Federal Foreign Office, Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut. Justin Sasman is a musical contractor, a brass player, and an educator at Northwest University in...

"This industry is unstable unless you have your feet firmly on the ground." Welcome to Episode #9 in a 10-part series on "Parents in the Music Industry" - made possible with funding support from the Music in Africa Foundation, the German Federal Foreign Office, Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut. Mama Yvonne Chaka Chaka is a musician, a philanthropist, and a lover of life. She's also a mother. I...

"Just brace yourself. It’s hard but it’s also beautiful." Welcome to Episode #8 in a 10-part series on "Parents in the Music Industry" - made possible with funding support from the Music in Africa Foundation, the German Federal Foreign Office, Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut. Mapumba is a singer/songwriter and a guitarist who's into music, sound and life. He's based in Cape Town, and he's als...

"I didn’t know my own strength until having a child." Welcome to Episode #7 in a 10-part series on "Parents in the Music Industry" - made possible with funding support from the Music in Africa Foundation, the German Federal Foreign Office, Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut. Tamara Dey is a creator, a manifestor, a mother, an entertainer, and a magic-maker. In this episode Tamara talks about bei...

"Rather embrace parenthood AND your status as a musician and creator." Hagen Engler is a word artist, a singer, a guitarist, a spoken word performer, a writer, the author of a book called The Trustees, frontman for a band called The Feel So Strongs. He's also known as Inspector Ras. And he's a dad. In this episode we talk about co-parenting (and finding practical ways to make it work), leaving a l...

"If you want a family, just do it!" Welcome to Episode #5 in a 10-part series on "Parents in the Music Industry" - made possible with funding support from Music in Africa Foundation, the German Federal Foreign Office, Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut. Jennifer Eaves is a songwriter, an artist, a poet, a painter, a pianist, a teacher, a singer, a guitarist, and one of the composers of a band ca...

"You're walking around with your heart walking around next to you." Welcome to Episode #4 in a 10-part series on "Parents in the Music Industry" - made possible with funding support from Music in Africa Foundation, the German Federal Foreign Office, Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut. Zolani Mahola’s mandate is to have fun and to play in this next incarnation in her life. She's a singer, a story...

"You're a migrant labourer that goes into the sky, not into the ground." Welcome to Episode #3 in a 10-part series on "Parents in the Music Industry" - made possible with funding support from Music in Africa Foundation, the German Federal Foreign Office, Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut. Guest: Siyabonga Mthembu (The Brother Moves On) Siyabonga Mthembu is a performance artist, a curator, the v...

"You don't have to give up everything." Welcome to Episode #2 in a 10-part series on "Parents in the Music Industry" - made possible with funding support from Music in Africa Foundation, the German Federal Foreign Office, Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut. Guest: Shane Durrant (Desmond and the Tutus) Shane Durrant is a musician, a songwriter, a creative director, and a dad. He's also the frontm...

"I knew that I wanted to touch peoples lives one way or another." Welcome to Episode #1 in a 10 part series on "Parents in the Music Industry" - made possible with funding support from Music in Africa Foundation, The German Federal Foreign Office, Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut. Guest: Buyisiwe Njoko (Sun Xa Experiment) Buyisiwe Njoko is a mom, a writer, a songwriter, a philosopher, a teache...

When they lose support, they lose their power... With a career in the creative industries spanning 15 years Angela Weickl has fulfilled multiple roles - talent agent, music industry consultant, journalist, DJ, and radio show host to name a few. She is also the director of the South African chapter of shesaidso. In today's episode we chat about writing under pseudonyms, a life-long love affair with...

Inspired career beginnings, being a parent in music, & PR advice FTW! Zethu Gqola (Music Industry Marketing Campaign Manager) Zethu Gqola is a marketing campaign manager working in the music and events industries. She creates marketing strategies and campaigns for the music releases of some of the biggest artists in Africa. She's also a mom that I met through the shesaid.so Parenthood Committee (a...

Finn MacKinnon (Tjoon and Burning Groove) Tjoon - free education & tech tools for South African independent musicians Finn MacKinnon likes to find solutions to problems. He's a dreamer, an entrepreneur, a musician, and co-founder of a new platform called Tjoon. It brings free education and tech tools to help South African independent musicians manage their copyrights and careers and earn royalties...

"I want to get this degree and come back and change people's lives" - Lana Lana Crowster is a singer/songwriter, creative, and a musical entrepreneur. And an absolute delight. In today's episode we chat about travelling internationally for music, singing backing vocals for your heroes, the story behind the Lady Day Big Band, music and arts as one of SA's most amazing exports, and leaving the world...

Are you a band looking to one day tour SA? Listen to this episode! Wikipedia calls Toast Coetzer a South African poet. He would say that he's a writer, a travel journalist and the vocalist of The Buckfever Underground. In this week's episode - the birth and beginnings of The Buckfever Underground, proper DIY merch-making and 'artifacts', the cumulative effect of consistently making things (KEEP MA...

This interview should be required listening for every human being Siyabonga Mthembu is a curator, a creative entrepreneur, and a self-starter. Bandleader for the band The Brother Moves On, he is slowly becoming a scene godfather. In this week's episode we talk about Coca Cola Pop Stars, music as a tool for healing, BIG international tours, what it means to be a dad AND a musician, the story behind...

A parent in the music industry, Jackie Queens tackles some big questions This week, in collaboration with shesaid.so parenthood, we’re kicking off a new monthly feature focusing on parents in the music industry. The shesaid.so parenthood committee is a community of parents within shesaid.so, formed to support and hear the voices of parents of all genders who are members or allies. The committee’s...

Jamie's main drive is to connect with as many humans as possible... Lead singer of the band, Naming James, Jamie Acheson is a professional jester, songwriter, string-breaker, dreamer, husband and long-time member of musical obscurity, with massive allergies to rent and finance. We've been friends for decades (ever since the days of the Songwriters Club in Newtown), and in this week's delightful ep...

'Original Music for Original People' Tidal Waves is the hardest working reggae band in South African, and a stalwart on the local festival scene. In this weeks episode I'm chatting to guitarist/vocalist Jacob Zakes Wulana about music as a movement, the healing power of it, traveling the world, the impact of bra Piet, backing Ziggy Marley, and getting inspired by collaboration. Having witnessed ple...

"As long as you have music, you'll always have food on the table." Basically the bravest person I know, Ann Jangle has done what most of us wish we had the courage to - she's living her dreams at all costs. In today's episode we talk about her African Dream Parade, touring Europe, collaborating with legends, sleeping under the stars, the kindness of people, playing your own kind of music, starting...