For the longest women’s voices have been silenced or manipulated to tell narratives that suit societies perimeters of what is “acceptable.” Cheryl Zondi became a national symbol for breaking this convention and she’s at it again. This time, through her music, she bears her soul and shares the many voices of a mature, young black woman.
“I was the lead singer at Sunday School as a child. I would sing the same song every week,” she cheerfully reminisces. “I also got cast as the lead role in the school play and it really helped me flow into myself.” She says self expression is what she fell in love with. It is no surprise considering she grew up loving R&B whilst listening to the likes of Aaliyah, Tamia and Luther Vandross.
These early influences are evident in her debut project No Walls Allowed. The record sounds like an ode to the R&B of old with the fresh grooves and melodies that keep you firmly rooted in the present. From the title track to bops like Right Here, Cheryl’s vocals melt in your ears and sooth you into her imagination.
There isn’t a cliché that irks me quite as much as the one where local artists are said to sound “international” but such is the irony of life that upon my first listen, these were my exact thoughts. This is down to the exceptional writing and melodic choices in the project produced by K.Fresh, Twxggy, Dish and McIyne Beats. “I wrote every single word and made sure to not have any features. I wanted to be vulnerable and honest in my music,” Cheryl explains.
“I had gotten to the point where life had broken me. I wanted to shock people and show other sides of me,” she adds with an assured charm. “I wanted to start being me and not being diplomatic all the time.”
This diplomacy had come as a result of being thrown into the public consciousness when she testified on live television in the tragic Omotoso trial. “I underestimated the impact of the story. It looked glamorized to be seen as mbokodo but it was so hard. At the beginning I would break down so much after that it felt like I had regressed like I had never before.”
She is thankful for the love and support she received from the country but admits that the struggle of dealing with such a personal issue publicly can sometimes be triggering. “I haven’t even watched it (the testimony). I’ve seen about a minute and stopped.”
Her pillar of strength during the ordeal was her mother. “We have a spiritual bond. She’s a strong woman, a no nonsense Queen,” she says as she chuckles, “but she has taught me that sometimes you need to fall apart.” The pair along with her younger sister have always been co-dependent. Whilst in an abusive relationship with her father, it was a three-year-old Cheryl who advised her mother to leave him and start afresh.
Remnants of her trauma may occasionally appear but she draws from her lived experiences to heal through music. The title track is about a failed talking stage where she could tell the guy admired her but was unsure whether it was because of the trial or for who she was. Either way she is not trapped by the past and moves with no inhibitions.
Her latest move is the single “Kunini” produced by K.Fresh. It fuses elements of Afro-Pop with the charisma, bounce and groove that has become characteristic to the sound of Amapiano today. The song presents a real, relatable prayer one can dance to over authentically African instrumentation delivered in isiZulu. This relatable tune is her first venture into the popular genre and hopes to one day work with the likes of DJ Maphorisa and Kabza Da Small.
Musicianship doesn’t offer instant gratification and she is aware of this but is ready to nurse her dream like a baby because she believes she has a greater purpose. “God has placed me here to heal as many people as possible.” There are evidently many ways to use one’s voice and Cheryl Zondi best exemplifies this.
From the voice of reason to the voice of truth, Cheryl now just wants to voice her truth. No Walls Allowed was the cathartic moment she needed to fully heal. “I was tired of being defined by rape, the church or the court. I wanted to show that I am sensual, sexual and provocative.”
This intention reverberated and in so doing illustrated the greatest triumph about Cheryl’s arc. From sexual violence victim to sensual singing virtuoso. There is no Prince in shining armour in her tale, she is her own hero.
