The weekend of May 13-14, 2017 was an amazing experience for participants in a songwriting workshop led by singer-songwriter Leomile and songwriter-composer Zweli Mthembu at The Hub.
Some of the exercises included discussions about the participants’ favorite artists and songs, and thinking about messages in the lyrics of the songs. Participants also group wrote one song together.
On Saturday the participants’ homework was to write lyrics, which they got to work on with Leomile on Sunday. They then recorded a melody to their songs with Zweli and ended with each participant performing their own song, backed by Leomile and Zweli.
We hope to bring them back to facilitate another session soon! Huge thanks for leading such a great workshop, and to Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa for supporting The Hub’s weekend workshops.
Background on the musicians:
Leomile is a singer-songwriter whose music ensnares all who encounter it with its blend of curious mysticism, modern sound and storytelling. Leomile’s music is infused with lyrics that address important issues of identity and womanhood wrapped in soulful music with a funky-jazz edge. 2016 saw the rise of Leomile with the release of her debut album “Pula-Molomo” and her continued appearances at high profile festivals, she is gaining impetus and continues to hypnotise audiences.
Zweli Mthembu is a songwriter-composer from The Brother Moves On – a self proclaimed art movement and a ever-evolving performance art collective. Their sound has been described as a “tradition-trouncing, trans-Atlantic Afrocentric, futuristic ancient fusion that jack knifes between off world spectral dub-metal, hyper rhythmic rock psychedelia, indie-township and astro-afro-free-jazz.” They embrace this classification and the one that says that they are a multi-genre, multimedia aesthetic, art project that incorporates historical, political, and sociological perspectives.
Photos from the workshop:
The Hub 