By: Natasha Archary
Dudu Ngwenya, better known as Lady Du joins DJ Keyez on The Ultimate Kaya 959 Top 30 this Saturday, where she touches on getting into music at the age of 9, losing her best friend, her latest projects and so much more.
The pandemic took a toll on all artists in the entertainment industry but Lady Du chose to channel her struggles and use that to up her game.
“Covid is what really released the beast in me. I’ve always written lyrics that were deep and hit hard and people didn’t want that. They were looking for the fun songs, the “gimmick” tracks they could let themselves go with. So, when I came in with Amapiano it was about bringing back the Kwaito feel.” – Lady Du
Lady Du opened up about losing her best friend Mpura who was so close to the South African artist that she considered him a brother. She told DJ Keyez that she is still dealing with his passing which affected her because Mpura together with 4 other Amapiano artists who died in a car crash, died too soon.
“With the void that Mpura has left, I don’t think anyone will be able to fill that space, it’s too big shoes to fill. But I also need to continue the legacy that they left, because if we don’t give them the light that they need even in their absence, then their families are not going to be taken care of.”
To pay tribute to the late Amapiano artists Sakhile ‘Killer Kau’ Hlatshway and Mongezi ‘Mpura’ Stuurman, in a special way, she got a tattoo of two birds, two hearts and a peace sign.
Listen to Lady Du’s full interview with DJ Keyez on The Ultimate Kaya 959 Top 30 here:
The “Dakiwe” hitmaker shared that the party song which trended for the viral dance move that got people dancing is actually not a song about alcohol.
“I wrote Dakiwe in August 2019 when I was struggling financially and was just not in a good space. It was tough but I don’t drink alcohol, personally, I’ve never tasted alcohol but I know it’s something many people turn to for comfort when they are stressed. So I wrote it to be about alcohol but it’s about more than that.”
Her song Zuma Yi Star was not intended to come out at the time the country was going through the devastation with the looting incidents that were taking place in the country.
She wrote about the former president after a video of him dancing with his family in Nkandla surfaced in May this year. It just so happened that the song was ready to be released around the time of the looting and protests around Zuma’s arrest and there was nothing to do but just wait for the fire to come.
That’s what a striker does as she tells DJ Keyez and if there’s one thing that stands out about Lady Du it’s that she’s unapologetic about her ambitions and once she sets her mind on something, believe that she will get it done.