Bay singer launches video of debut single

[caption id="attachment_223985" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Vuyiseka "LoveChild" Maguga Picture: Londeka Dlamini[/caption]

More than two years after the release of her debut single, Khawubuye, award-winning Bay singer and songwriter Vuyiseka “LoveChild” Maguga will be hosting its music video premiere at the Athenaeum on Saturday November 11.

Maguga, 31, recorded and released Khawubuye in May 2015 and started shooting the music video last year.

Due to unforeseen hurdles, the musician and guitarist said, she had to put the shoot on hold. Seeing now as the perfect time, Maguga said she had achieved notable growth as a musician in the past year and felt the delay was in fact a blessing in disguise.

“Musically I have grown and finally become the person I wanted to be, so I told myself that I had to release the video this year because in makes sense in terms of where I am in my career,” she said.

Maguga took her musical production, The Acoustic Me, to the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown earlier this year where it scooped a Standard Bank Ovation Award. Khawubuye was a part of the production.

“The award was such a highlight for me.

“It brought [attention] to my brand and my following is really growing.”

After winning the award, Maguga performed at the Women In Arts Manyano and the Mamela Arts Festival held at the PE Opera House in August and September respectively.

She said the award and gigs that followed – including her recent performance at the Cape Town Fringe Festival – had gained her enough recognition to motivate her to release the music video.

“After I came from the Cape Town Fringe Festival I wanted to do something for Port Elizabeth and I decided to do the music video premiere,” she said.

The rising star described Khawubuye as a “jazzy” love song to which the public could easily relate.

“It’s basically about a couple that part ways over a silly argument but neither of them wants to swallow their pride and apologise even though they both miss each other,” she said.

While Maguga’s gig guide may reflect her career as a walk in the park, it has not always been so as she suffered a blow of rejection when she was kicked out of her high school choir.

The KwaZakhele-born star said that rejection took a toll on her confidence in her voice for a while.

“When I was in high school I got kicked out of the choir, so I kind of gave up on music and just shifted my focus to other things like sport and academics,” she said.

She worked full time as a sales marketer before resigning in 2013 and finally regaining the confidence to pursue music as a career in 2014.

“In 2011, I started doing some writing and when I read the content I decided it would work well as songs...so I felt I needed to sing the things I was writing.”

Maguga officially launched her brand and stage name, LoveChild, in 2014.

Reflecting on the time she had spent building her name, the songbird said she had become more confident in being different and focusing on lyrical content more than anything else.

Following the recent rape of and attack on two Nelson Mandela University students, the musician was motivated to write a new song titled A Life Worth Living For in which she reflects on and offers motivation to move forward from life’s hurdles.

She could not confirm whether she would perform the song at the event next week.

The Khawubuye music video premiere will be at 6 for 6.30pm at the Athenaeum in Central.

Sharing the stage with Maguga will be Luno DotSoul, KoraX Tulwana and Sam Whitebooi.

Single tickets are R70 and double tickets are R100. A cash bar will be available.

For more information, contact Maguga on 071-145-9553.