Such a great interview! It's great to know that you guys, as Journalists or media people, recognize the power of influence to change things for the better and to teach others who aren't in the know. 

UK born, Malawi-bred and South Africa-based; Shiba Melissa Mazaza is a music journalist, media strategist, curator and voice-over artist. Founder of Mount Makeda Media and the African Consciousness Institute; a non-profit organisation which aims to contribute to the wellbeing of African creatives with the help of mindfulness, consciousness and spiritual health practices.

Pursuing curiosity, forming your identity and the jack of all trades trope (9:43), what does home mean to you? (18:20), identity politics in South Africa and the significance of borders (27:06), the journey to becoming a music writer (40:55), how much is the work we do down to our calling/purpose (58:01), ownership, self-defining and imposters syndrome (1:04:24), understanding music PR as the practice of helping artists to tell their story (1:14:32), the power of amapiano, Lady Du, Aymos and the Major League Djz vision (1:28:21). 

Instagram @CharisseeC @IamShiba. Twitter @CharisseeC @IamShiba.

#AbantuPod 4 - In conversation with Shiba Melissa Mazaza

Charisse C – live from Elheist's Goody Central takeover in London.

Charisse C | SS21 London:  Elheist presents Goody Central

https://www.nts.live/shows/charisse-c/episodes/charisse-c-16th-september-2022

Charisse C 160922

Charisse C takes us on a monthly journey through an electronic soundscape birthed by the melting pot which raised her, anchored by South African giants Amapiano & Gqom, featuring soulful, bass-heavy & playful selections.

https://www.nts.live/shows/charisse-c/episodes/charisse-c-14th-october-2022

Charisse C B2B Virgo Deep 141022

→ Soulection ~ The Sound of Tomorrow
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4 DECEMBER 2022

Soulection Radio Show #574

Curated by Charisse C, we explore the sounds of Southern Africa: kwaito, house, sjiga, sungura, amapiano, bacardi and a lil more.

Diaspora Dance: Southern Groove Vol. 2

"If you feel like you're not progressing, the likelihood is that everyone else you're looking at is going through exactly the same thing." Conducta and Charisse C talk about isolation and mental health in this collaboration with Black Minds Matter UK.

Resident Advisor is delighted to welcome back our quarterly collaboration with Black Minds Matter UK, a charity connecting Black individuals and families with free mental health services. In line with their mission to make topics around mental health more visible and accessible to the Black community, this recurring series dives deep into some of the issues that plague BIPOC artists specifically, not to mention people working within the creative industries more generally.

In this episode, Vanessa Maria hosts engaging conversations with two London-based artists: Charisse C, a DJ and resident on NTS Radio who derives much of her musical inspiration from her Zimbabwean and South African heritage, and Conducta, a UKG tastemaker and the founder and A&R of Kiwi Rekords. The duo share their thoughts on themes around loneliness—the alienation of social media, the risk of burnout on the road and the self-doubt that accompanies any kind of achievement. But they also share inspiring ways to encourage transparency and a real dialogue around hard work and happiness in the dance music scene that isn't mitigated by social media and outward appearances of success. 

"Everything that people think has happened overnight in the last two or so years, that's all been a process and a journey of hard work," says Conducta. "I think one thing that will benefit young people coming up in the music industry is understanding that if you feel like you're hitting a stalemate, the likelihood is that everyone else you're looking at is going through exactly the same thing, feeling exactly the same thing." Listen to the episode in full.

EX.664 Black Minds Matter UK: Charisse C and Conducta

Welcome to Deep Rooted, where through creative expression, music and the arts we look to build a sense of community and explore everything that we are, our Roots. 

Let’s Get Deep:
We are extremely excited as this is our first Episode of Deep Sessions, by Deep Rooted. 

This Deep Session is recorded at the 16 Lerotholi art gallery, in the Langa Township, Cape Town, South Africa. It features the majestic Zimbabwean born, London based DJ, Charisse C where she takes you through her set of #Amapiano where you will be hard-pressed not to feel the authenticity radiating from the selection of jams. If you’re Deep enough, you might also pick-up that she casually drops her very own song, “Wonke Umuntu”. 

Before we leave you to enjoy the musical journey and decipher the rest yourself, a special thanks to Mpilo Ngcukana as founder of the 16 Lerotholi Art Gallery, for providing us the space for the Deep Session. The artwork on display is that of Restone Maambo, please do check out the gallery and artwork, instagram links below. 

With love, 
Team Deep Rooted

Charisse C Instagram 👉🏾 @charissec
16 Lerotholi Instagram 👉🏾 @16onlerotholi
Restone Maambo Instagram 👉🏾 @restonemaambo_artist
Deep Rooted Instagram 👉🏾 @deeprooted.wrld
Deep Rooted Tik Tok 👉🏾 @deep.rooted.wrld

CHARISSE C | DEEP ROOTED: VOL.1 | LANGA, CAPE TOWN

2 Spiritual storytellers took us along this 3 hour plot that touches Amapiano, Afrohouse, Gqom and everything in between.

@Charissec x @Listentowax 
---
Terra - Every Friday @ Parallel, Amsterdam
www.parallel.am

Charisse C x Wes Lee Live @ Terra - Feb 23rd 2024

Tracklist:

1. Charisse C, DJ Kwamzy - Morning Sun
2. DJ Kent, EyeRonik - You are Worthy 
3. China Charmeleon, Hypaphonik - We R 1
4. Zulu Mageba - 3rd Degree 
5. Afro Swanky - Don’t Give Up
6. SUPTA, TorQue MusiQ - Trip To Harrismith
7. Pascal Morais, DJ ZooRoyi - Talk Nerdie
8. DBN Gogo, Shazmicsoul, Yumbs, Baby S.O.N, Mashudu - MALI MALI
9. Fear Lez - Guru
10. Malumz on Decks - Skontiri
11. Afrikan Roots, Fatso 98, Bobby M, Maz Sings - The Rhythm
12. Dee Cee - Yaku 3 - Original Mix
13. Naptone SA - Yako.
14. Blanka Mazimela, Caliber AfroFusion - Lost and Found

GOOD FRIDAY - 3 Step Mix

DJ, Artist, founder of Abantu, one half of The Ascension & NTS Resident, Charisse C draws her selections from her experience of existing between worlds.
Rooted in her Zimbabwean and South African heritage, raised in the UK; her taste is curious, soulful and bass-heavy, with a playful and intentional demeanour. 

Spearheading South Africa's electronic soundscape, including, now global giants, Amapiano and Gqom; she describes herself as both a vessel and storyteller. Previously a Music Journalist, Charisse C's live performances and curated events are all part of an ever-evolving expression of chosen mediums.

Described by Mixmag as "building a bridge between continents" with her "spiritual storytelling and fluid amapiano sets," and coined the "authority on the genre" by Benji B. The multifaceted tastemaker has played a wide and eclectic span of shows internationally; most recently selling out her own night 'Abantu' at Village Underground. Charisse C’s mixes can be found on Boiler Room, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6, BBC 1Xtra, NTS, Rinse FM and No Signal.

In the spring of 2021, Charisse C met collaborator Koek Sista; fresh from a stellar Boiler Room debut,  they launched 'The Ascension': an immersive live experiment that combines Charisse C’s bass-heavy selections and Koek Sista’s magnetic sound art, to turn every dance floor into a gravitational and unforgettable experience. 

With their debut EP just released, the pair sit at the vanguard of a new imagining of electronic music from the African continent; connecting their individual experiences of cultural hybrids to form a live, artistic expression that is both rooted and out of this world. AMAKA describes "the heart of The Ascension" as "a form of sonic care work where two Black women honour the sounds of their home and use music to uplift collective energy," in both Art and Club institutions alike.

“South African’s club experiments have rightly been held up as some of the best things to have happened to our dance floors. As Abantu boss Charisse C showed us in her debut sessions for NTS, there’s plenty more to [South Africa’s] thriving and constantly-evolving club culture,” writes Trench Magazine. 

Known for the stellar curation of #AbantuNoSignal; a bi-weekly show dedicated to representing the vastness of Southern Africa, with a combined effort of music and storytelling. Starting with the two places she calls home; Zimbabwe and South Africa, the show has since branched out to reach Zambia, Namibia, Mozambique and the like.

Abantu, which translates to “people” in several Nguni languages, is cultivating an international community whilst building an archival legacy. The show features interviews, guest-mixes and the #AbantuArtists segment, which spotlights artists across electronic, hip-hop and soul music. The show aims to be inclusive of all that Southern Africa has to offer; not limited to its commercial successes, bridging gaps between genres and cultures alike. 

The Abantu dance floor, curated by headlining DJ Charisse C, is a dance floor of freedom and discovery. Where you can experience Amapiano, and its adjacent genres, situated in the heart of electronic dance music in London and beyond.

An exploration of the intersections between the genres and cultures, that have shaped Charisse C into the eclectic tastemaker she is today. Where you can experience a sense of home, whilst being transported to places new and yet somehow familiar.

#AbantuPod 4 - In conversation with Shiba Melissa Mazaza

Charisse C

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