We chat to to Lerato Lichaba of Urban Village about the message in the music, their future plans and the role spirituality plays in their songs.
When did you start playing your first instruments and what or who were your early passions or influences?
I started playing my first instrument at the age of thirteen years old, both piano and guitar. My influences were mostly house music and jazz.
What do you personally consider to be the incisive moments in your artistic work and/or career?
My incisive moments were travelling and being exposed to international festivals which were an eye opener in terms of diverse cultural and artistic awareness in the arts worldwide.
Do you have any artistic challenges as you evolve as a band and brand?
Yes we do. The musical scene in South Africa is not designed to uplift art from a grass root level which brings a big challenge for indigenous art to rise to its full potential.
The music scene in South Africa is growing by the day. How do you feel to be included in its progression?
The growth progression in the music scene in South Africa is doing good for its own purpose. There is some sense of inclusiveness and we are proud to be part of it. However, in order to succeed you need to apply yourself.
Music-sharing sites and blogs, as well as a flood of releases in general are overloading the industry with an overwhelming amount of content. What is your view on the value of musical content in this generation?
The value of music content in our industry has a long way to go, it is still growing. We are still lacking information and teachings from our roots as a nation and on the basis of our history. Until we are provided with spaces to workshop our art in history, then we can have a healthy way forward.
Jumping to the future, what is in store for Urban Village?
We are focusing on building healthy content with a true Mzanzi identification and also going to release an album.
At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope listeners take away from your songs?
The message of our music is spreading commonality to the masses in spiritualism and we hope our listeners take good love energy out of it.
