With her memorable voice and vibrant energy, international award-winning artist Karyn White will be taking Bay fans on a trip down memory lane at the Boardwalk Convention Centre on Saturday.
The R&B soul singer, who is famous for hits, such as I’d Rather be Alone, Make Him Do Right and the female anthem Superwoman, is in SA for a three-legged tour and will be headlining the Divas 2018 show.
Idols SA winner Paxton Fielies, G&T and Sasha Lee Davids will be sharing the stage with the legendary artist.
While the dynamic 52-year-old White has previously performed in the country – in 2016 and 2017 – this show will be the first time she entertains a Bay audience.
“I am one of those performers who are energetic and in the moment, so the energy that the audience gives I give back to them a thousand times over.
“Most people are surprised because I am an entertainer – I don’t just stand there singing ballads, I am like a hurricane,” White said.
Superwoman made waves internationally, going gold by selling more than a million units and was named Billboard’s R&B Song of the Year in 1989.Her influences include Tina Turner, James Brown and Prince, which White said has helped her leave everything on the stage.
“My fans have grown older with me and I think they will appreciate where I am today, having that nostalgic artist they grew up with. That’s the great thing about music – it’s a timeline of life. It takes you back and that is what I hope to do with this show, take the audience back to a time when things were maybe a little bit easier,” she said.
White will be performing songs from the Make Him Do Right album and has sold out the 1,500-seat venue.
Having returned to the music industry only eight years ago after she was forced to take a 17-year break to deal with her divorce from husband Terry Lewis and her mother’s death from cancer, White said she had needed to take a step back at the time.
“I didn’t like where my life was headed. I felt like I was not successful although I had platinum and gold albums and luxurious homes.
“I didn’t like what my life had become, so I stepped back and decided to work on Karyn.
“Ever since I was a little girl I knew I wanted to be an entertainer, but I felt like I needed to spiritually work on ‘me’.
“There was a disconnect, because when you have all of these things you prayed for and dreamt about and you’re still not happy, you have to take a look at your life.”
During her time out of the spotlight, White dabbled in real estate and property development, but once the property industry tanked in the US, she had no excuse to not get back into the industry.
While performing at a concert in San Francisco, White had an epiphany and realised that she was exactly where she needed to be, doing what she was made to do.
“My song Where I Belong is exactly how I feel about being back on stage and I am extremely grateful to God.
“God pulled me back because I had unfinished business that I had to take care of and now performing for SA audiences is incredible because they have so much appreciation, especially the females in the audience,” she said.
White said she was grateful and humbled that the third leg of the show was sold out.