Idols SA winner reflects on his debut album and international opportunities.
|||Munya Vomo
Last year’s IdolsSA winner, Karabo Mogane, did not rest after winning the show. With album sales soaring, bookings all over the country and international stars calling him for work, it’s the stuff that dreams are made of and Karabo is living that dream.
We caught up with him to find out what the R&B singer has been up to and what his plans are for this year.
You released the album Love is a Verb. How is it doing?
Our album is doing very well and we have sold over 7 000 copies. In South Africa, that means we are approaching gold. Gold is 10 000 and I feel that we are not far off.
We have heard the single Ding Dong on radio. How far is the South African radio landscape going in terms of playing your music?
Radio has been supporting us for a while and I am glad about that. Now we are trying to get into Metro FM because that’s the big one. It will open more doors. They are one of the biggest radio stations in the country.
The other stations that have supported me have changed the outlook of the album. I go to places that I have never been to before and perform to people who already know my music. That’s all amazing.
The album came out pretty quickly. How long did it take to complete?
I won on Sunday and I did interviews on the Monday and Tuesday. Then on the Wednesday I was in studio. We had about five days to record the whole album. The following week it was mastered and mixed shortly before it was released.
Who did you work with and what was your input on the album?
I wrote one song on the album, track 11, called Baby I Don’t Know Love. I worked with several other people on the other songs and these included Robbie Malinga, Amy (from The Arrows) and DJ Mix among others .
What kind of sound would you say you were following on this album?
I love the soulful R&B vibe, but since it is the first album, there is nothing wrong with exploring. The people I worked with came with their genres and they tried to incorporate them into one album. I tried to accommodate as many ideas as possible. When you are making music, you want to catch as many people as possible and not only 16-year-olds. So I did a bit of house, R&B, pop and a bit of gospel.
Who are some of your musical influences?
I listen to a lot of people, but especially the R&B types. I love Brian McKnight, Luther Vandross, Lalha Hathaway, Jill Scott and Babyface.
What has been the highlight of your musical career so far?
I met Bebe Winans after the competition. He had been looking for me ever since the IdolsSA auditions. We met for dinner when he came here. He was full of praise and said he wanted to work with me on his upcoming South African tour.
Love is a Verb is on iTunes and in stores.