Gigi Lamayne
Gigi's interest in art and music started early. As a child, she attended a convent school. While the school was stringent, she found a way to cultivate her talent. Because she couldn't listen to rap music at the school, poetry was the next best thing. She loved learning about other languages and all kinds of literature. Shakespeare caught her attention early and she would use recess as a time to read and write poetry.
She was rewarded for her efforts at a young age. Gigi got her first poem published at the age of 11, and when her mother saw this she encouraged her to develop her craft and get better. As she grew and learned more she knew she enjoyed music but didn't feel like singing was the proper route so she decided to get into rap music. Having a big brother who listens to hip hop helps a lot. This assisted in her moving the poetry and doing it over a beat. These were the beginnings of the artist known as Gigi Lamayne.
The first songs or artists she remembers hearing that made her want to rap were Da Brat and Biggie. Flashbacks of her going to her brother's room and hearing the music for the first time are still vivid memories until this day. She saw Da Brat as a cool girl and would watch her videos, check out her hairstyles, and try to learn more about her. Gigi found it amazing that she got to hear the female perspective in such a male-dominated field.
Even though she's not even 30 Gigi feels like she carries the traditions of artists like Da Brat and she has South African hip hop on her back. She acknowledges that she has a large responsibility. A self-proclaimed political thinker, Gigi stresses the importance that she pushes the narrative about being an African woman. Those are the stories she's telling in her music, but she knows there's a long way to go.
As the state of African music in America stands, Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Davido have had massive success in the United States. Gigi hopes to be the first female hip-hop artist out of Africa to cross over. This is a burden she's carried since she was 16. This feat will take effort. The level of resilience, focus, and determination required aren't new to Gigi. Her team and she are focused on pushing the boundaries musically and taking the necessary risks. The main goal of pushing the narrative to the world is understood amongst her team and everyone they work with.
The inspirations for this task are a plethora of African writers and heroic figures. Gigi cites Credo Mutwa, Sosobala, Steve Biko, Chinua Achebe, and Frantz Fanon ad figures she looks to. These along with a wide musical pallet are what she believes will be the difference maker between her and other artists.
Gigi has taken it upon herself to not only be a musical agent of change but also speak out in other areas. Mental health is something else she is passionate about. In South Africa, much like in most black communities, there is a stigma when speaking about mental health. Having a mother as a medical practitioner is one of the key elements that helped Gigi speak so openly about topics in mental health. Her conversations with her mother made it easier to go against the grain. The Department of Arts and Culture has recently named Gigi as the ambassador for mental wellness. She feels like the more it's openly talked about, the easier these conversations can be for anyone who's dealing with mental health issues in South Africa. Her dad was a soldier and everything he learned, he brought home. Some of the adverse effects are what she hopes to combat as she speaks of mental health. She's fixing society while simultaneously fixing herself.
Her parents are prominent figures in her life and she mentions her mother quite a bit as being a large element in her growth and development. Her mom grew up poor and didn't get her first pair of shoes until she was 7. She managed to make it into nursing school after being assisted by her headmaster. Her mother looks to God, resilience, faith, and the ancestors as reasons for her continued success on her journey. She currently has an agency where she helps families, employs people, and gives job opportunities. The legacy that her mother is leaving has created a high bar that Gigi hopes to surpass.
Gigi has started a foundation of her own. She takes charity seriously. From small initiatives to something big, she just wants to help in any way that she can. Although she finds solace in music, her foundation is something that she does outside of music to feel like she's changing the world.
Her new album Mermaids and Stuff is inspired by a spiritual journey. Gigi comes from a long lineage of Sangoma's, who are highly respected healers in Zulu culture. She went to them and when she returned she came back different. She had a purpose. Her love for life and helping people changed. Some of the songs on the album are based on that experience. The album is setting up for some of the African theories she wants to include in her music. She's continuously pushing for the motherland. So many hidden stories and secrets she hopes to explore.
On this album, the theme is the Mermaid. A mystical creature of the water, there is much debate as to its existence. These proved to be the muses for the project. The thesis is that we should navigate life like a mermaid. We need to be able to go through the tides, understand the chaos, and understand the stillness. Navigating and understanding the water is one of the stories being told.
For words of advice, Gigi wants to remove how we use external devices to define our journeys. She feels like we're so busy trying to get inspired by everyone else that we forget that we're inspirations. Our stories don't need to be validated by anyone else, they are beautiful on their own.