How Music Is Home For Lelam
Image Sourced From @lelammmmmmmm / Instagram
Cape Town really is a small world, and it continues to blow my mind how interconnected the creative scene truly is. Earlier last year, I had written a review for Lelam’s stunning “The Guy for the Three Stripes” EP, which had the gifted vocalist allure listeners with his ability to blend his vocal performances over spellbinding House beats.
Funnily enough, our very own crew member, Vuyo Polson, had previously taken snaps with Lelam for the cover of his EP. I’m no conspiracy theorist, but this had to mean something. I knew a chat with the bright musician was absolutely needed, and that finally occurred.
During the peak Festive season, under the scorching hot December sun, I awaited his presence and was not disappointed as I caught him cruising up the road in his navy-blue whip, instantly impressing me with his smooth aura.
With his anticipated album, titled “BABY ELEPHANT II”, on the way, we used this opportunity to unveil his story of bouncing around from area to area and how that shaped him into the person he is today, and a bit more about his outlook on life and music as a whole.
Image shot by @vuyopolson / Instagram
Firstly, can you tell us who is Lelam?
“Lelam is just a real sucker for life.”
“I always appreciated living. There's something very special about this life thing. I don't know when it happened for me, where I started appreciating the seconds more than anything else.”
“Lelam is a softy. I feel a lot. Tough guy too for sure, I gotta stand on business, but I feel deeply about a lot of things. It's gotten me in trouble at times, but it's helped me out a lot.”
“I was born in East London and three months after I moved to Johannesburg. I grew up there and attended Bryanston Primary. I then went to High School here in the Western Cape at Somerset West. For varsity, I went to Wits and back to Stellenbosch now.”
“I've been able to experience life from many different perspectives. I never knew how important that was until now that I'm growing up and learning more about myself.”
“There's a lot of layers to me. I know I'm misunderstood at times, and there's more layers to myself that I don't even know. Through journeying through my childhood, moving a lot, and never really building a foundation, I had to detach from that and realize that home is really where the heart is.”
“I've always been able to make a home somewhere. That's given me the ability to be very adaptable. Now I treat every experience as nuanced as I can. I treat every opportunity as big as possibly.”
A young Lelam / Sourced From @lelammmmmmmm
The art of crafting music is a beautiful gift. What does making music mean to you?
“I think I have a unique understanding of important things when it comes to life, based on the way I've grown up. And music has always been the one common factor through this journey of mine.”
“I've always been able to make music. I learned how to do it all by myself. I learned how to produce, how to record my own vocals, and how to write my own songs.”
“I was a choir boy. It's always choir man. My parents loved singing, and my family loved music. My first instrument was the marimba. I think from then, there was nothing that was going to separate me from music.”
“When I learned the piano, I knew I was officially locked in. Then I learned a bit of DJing, music production, and a bit of the guitar, bass guitar, and the sax.”
“I was doing performances at school, talent shows and such. I remember never really doing well at them, but for some reason it never disheartened me. I was like third place all the time and it would upset me, but I always knew it was fine, and I'd kill it the next year.”
“Everywhere I've been to, I've been inspired by the music in the area that I've been exposed to. I think that's helped me grow a lot music wise.”
Lelam cooking behind the decks.
Could you break down everything about your sound?
“I had been messing with this sound for a while since I moved here. I was messing around with a few House music sounds, trying to just master it a bit.”
“With the upcoming album, I realized I knew what I was doing. I'm very good at seeing opportunities. I know when I see gold, you know?”
“It's South African music at the end of the day. We're a dancing country. The weather is too good here. We've got our problems like everyone else but it's still nice to live here. And it’s beautiful that we have Amapiano now and I know its global now, but I still think Afro music is better.”
“We are such a young country in terms of our potential and dreams. So I have to breath this art. I don't know how to appreciate life otherwise.”
Image Sourced From @td_media9 / Instagram
When making music, what made you fall so in love with the art?
“It's a crazy thing to think we came up with creating music. It's a gift bro.”
“I think you'd get the same from asking a photographer about photography and a painter about painting. Music is something that everyone understands. It's a very human thing to understand.”
“I realized this long ago. You don't have a choice when it comes to music, and I feel like it's our best way of coming together. It's something I stuck to even when moving around so often.”
“The track off my EP (The Guy For The Three Stripes), called “Easy”, speaks on how leaving isn't easy. As much as I do it often, and wherever I'm going, I will thrive in that environment because that's the shit I'm good at doing.”
“I discovered that my music could bring people together and live authentically. God gave me this gift, but I have to put the work in. Remembering this helps me remember why I’m doing this.”
“The fact that realising that has chosen me is what keeps me going. I'm blessed to understand it like this, and I know that I have to share this and to share the way I feel.”
What’s been your personal experience with navigating the Cape Town music environment?
“I've only been active in it recently, so I can't tell you whether it's on the up or down.”
“What I can tell you is it's hot. Compared to Joburg, there can be a little gatekeeping in Cape Town. To me it's strange because why would you want to win by yourself?”
“In Joburg, you'll tell one person what you're doing, and they'll put you on. Being put on in Joburg is like standard procedure. Here it's very very scarce. People don't even know the activity that's happening around them.”
“I think there are a few people that know that as well. People who are actively against that. This is art and everyone should appreciate it. Everyone should share this shit.”
“There are these guys from the MOMENT Hip Hop group who host shows at Marvel on Long Street, putting on artists in the scene, regardless of their clout or whatever. It's guys like those I appreciate and a lot more. And of course, the guys at VERVE Magazine, shoutout to y’all.”
“But when I think back at it, I actually like that it is the way that it is. It brings out that dog in me, and I like the competitive nature of Hip Hop, nothing wrong with a little healthy competition.
“This thing we're doing is hot, and we've got to step on it now. Especially if you want to be big. There's no time for being insecure and wishing for things. You're limiting yourself by doing that, and you're limiting everyone by doing that.”
Not only are you a talented musician, but you’re also involved in the world of modelling. How has that been like?
“Yo man. That came at the best time. I only got signed in November with The Beautiful People Model & Talent Agency. It's a new agency.”
“The head of that and my agent, her name is Yvette. Absolute ROCKSTAR! She is the goat! I've never seen anyone work as hard as her and when I met her for my first audition, the energy was there.”
“She could see I was hungry for this, and she felt that. And I could see she was also hungry for this.”
“I got signed November and did my portfolio and I had got a call back from Adidas. They wanted me for a shoot. Like what the heck bro? I just got on! It was on my birthday month as well, so I was so thankful.”
“I also did a movie, but it's not out and we obviously can't talk about that. The modelling thing is very new though. If people see me on the Adidas ad and think I've been in the game for years, they're wrong. I've been on sets with people who have done this for ten years but I'm still new to it.”
Lelam modelling for Adidas
To close off our chat, what words of advice would you hand out when it comes to consistently putting out music?
“I guess we learn with time that we want to do this thing for the rest of our lives. You learn as you grow.”
“Same thing with me, I was impatient. I thought my first song was going to put me on. It doesn't work like that. It shouldn't work like that, and I don't think we'd want it to work like that.”
“You haven't given yourself enough time to grow into this thing. I think we're overexposed to the Internet and our generation is growing up with social media as well.”
“They say comparison is the thief of joy and I agree with that. It's a sad reality to look at the things we've done and it's not what I've seen so it's probably not important.”
“But if you get a hundred likes on a post, that's dope. Imagine putting a hundred people in a room? That's a lot of people bro.”
“And I think we've now finally gotten to a point where we've grown past the Internet shenanigans. What we're doing is going to find the right audience and when it does, it's game over.”
Lelam is certainly one of a kind. The interaction we had made me realize how aware the young star is when it comes to widening his surroundings and developing his viewpoints while adding those elements to his sound.
The young man has a bright path ahead of him. Not only is his music unique, but so is his personality. I had such ease conversing with him and understanding how he plans to tackle his future head-on.
With his upcoming album, titled “BABY ELEPHANT II”, on the way, we’re sure Lelam is set to showcase a stunning body of music. He’s already dropped “Down in Cpt”, a jovial track that has us hyped for the track. Stream the single, available on streaming platforms, and keep an eye out for the album, dropping on the 14th of February.
