Moneoa

I was introduced to Moneoa through Shugasmaxx's Take it Easy video, I found her looks fresh and her voice sweet, I took note of her name and hoped that I would hear more from this lady.
A few months later I found myself turning up the volume on the radio and eventually singing along to a jam titled Isbhanxa, only to find out it was her single.
In my efforts to gather more info about who she is, I reached out to my bff and well respected arts journalist Kgomotso Moncho and this is what she found out about this beautiful and talented songstress:

So what's in a name? Moneoa sounds exotic. Is there a meaning to it?

-» lol...It means 'Given' in Sotho

Where in Durban did you grow up?

-» Near downtown… a small flat in Berea called Bryanston Heights

What is your earliest musical memory?

-» Wow, I'd be lying if I told you I remembered... lol

How do you think where you grew up shaped the music you make today?

-» Well I grew up in a student area. So people would play loud music all the time, taxi's going past blasting the volume on max, not to mention that there were parties everywhere.. so I guess I could say hearing it that much did have some sort of influence but I owe most of my influence to my mom and uncles. They introduced me to jazz, soul, African and all sorts of music. I got to know, understand The Greatest artists of all time through them.

What else influences your music?
-» My experiences, my aspirations, my Mom, God.

What's your personal style?

-» Definitely retro...and a bit of that Marilyn Monroe type of look.

How does your personal style feed into your music or vice versa?

-» Not always, during a performance I always try to make what I'm wearing work well with the type of song I'm doing and of course when attending events I have to represent my music so my look is sexy yet sophisticated. However on a typical day I'm young and retro. My music is waaay more matured.

Salvaged Materials - Notice Board

This notice board is outside my favorite art supplies shop, Archineers in Pretoria. It looks like a piece of art made from salvaged wood with all sorts of old bolts and screws delicately welded on it.

I can only imagine how much fun making it must have been to make. I took welding classes as a student and it was fun to melt all that metal together, I made desk lamp. I wonder where it is, I should look for it and sell it... lol

In retrospect, it was'nt of great design but it functioned and I enjoyed making it :-) 

Mid-Century Dining

I bought these vintage Danish dining chairs at Bernadi Auctioneers for R100 each!!! At the time of purchase, they were just wooden frames, so I took them to Corner Lounge to be upholstered. 

The workmanship was of great quality and the labour was very affordable but I chose a slightly pricey U&G fabric which drove the overall cost up a little to just about R490 for each chair. I think it’s a good deal for a lovely pair of real wood mid-century modern chairs.

Looking at the photos, I now realize that the colors I chose for my fabric complement the colors of my kilim rug, which I also love very much. I have a love for oriental carpets but that's a story for another day.

I am really crazy about 1950's furniture, I don’t know where it all started, but I think it became official after the old sales guy at Bernadi’s noted that I kept asking for prices on furniture from that era. He jokingly asked why I am obsessed with furniture from a time when I or even my parents were not born yet. I quipped back and said I’m older than I look.

I don’t know exactly what inspired my obsession all I know is that design from that time is nostalgic to me; the lines are often clean and simple yet warm and organic, never overwhelming. It’s vintage without looking old. I could live with the furniture for years to come, take it with me to the future without growing tired of it. Maybe that is why I have subconsciously started to build a collection.