Queen Popoo excels as hip pop artist

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In the music industry, an artist's stage name should be intriguing and enticing – ringing a unique bell in the ear, which should soon become familiar to thousands of followers or fans.

This is the case with Queen Popoo, who was born Fhatuwani Dzhadzhi at Vondo village. She is a rapper whose lyrics and verses have a way of staying in the listener’s mind long after one has first heard them.

“The only word to sum up my approach to music is ‘impact’ – music has to make an impact on people’s minds,” she said. “My journey started in 2010, when I rapped with my dudes D Horse and D2. We were in high school. In 2018, I sang mostly within the manyalo genre, but in 2018 I had to get back to rap, for that’s the genre in which I feel most comfortable.”

She was inspired by South African Afro-pop star and songwriter Amanda Benedicta Antony, who is popularly known by her stage name as Amanda Black.

“Her music is powerful, and it exudes her confidence,” she said. “You cannot separate her from her music; she was born for it. Her life is her music, and so is my life. I love the way she sings and wears her clothes; she appears natural at all times.”

Queen Popoo sees a bright future in the music industry. “I sing hip pop and I see myself reaching higher places,” she said. “I had enjoyed the limelight of being nominated for a best newcomer in the Tshivenda Music Awards last year. My music continues to get fair airplay and I get both radio and print media interviews now and again.”

Her first single, Ro vha ri tshi funana, had previously earned her nominations in the Skawards (awards) for best female artist, best rapper and best collaboration. “My EP is called My voice is my hero,” she said. “It has 10 songs, which are Mutshinyalo (ft Romeo), Ro vha ri tshi funana (ft Adolf Mr Thohoyandou), Ndo kolesa (ft Meskay), My voice is my hero, Kare kare, Ni dinwa nga tshikhuna (ft Racha kill & King Kruzer), Ndi Tama ngavhe ndi tshi divha, I'm sorry mama (ft Dovey), Ndi mungana wanga, and Why songo mala halwa.”

This 24-year-old artist is the fourth-born daughter to Ms Alice and Mr Sampson Dzhadzhi. She prides herself on her four sisters and a brother, who are the pillars of her strength. She matriculated in 2013 and went on to study music at SWG College in Dobsonville, Gauteng.

“In short, 2019 has been my amazing year as a singer, for I had performed at over 100 gigs where I was mostly brushing shoulders with male artists,” she said. “It's high time that more and more female artists push forth and claim their position in the industry.”

Queen Popoo is available on most social media platforms. She can be reached on 082 735 8269.

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.