Claire Johnston

Izimvo has the great pleasure of introducing the lead singer of Mango Groove: Claire Johnston.

Claire, the voice and face of Mango Groove, has become an integral part of South African musical heritage. Since their first iconic multi-platinum release in 1989, Claire and the band have enjoyed over 12 Number 1 hits and have received every conceivable South African music and video award.

Their career highlights include the direct satellite link-up to the Freddie Mercury tribute in London; their performance in front of 200 000 people at the Paris “SOS Racism” concert and their performance at the renowned Montreux Jazz festival where the band received 3 encores.

With the release of their latest album, Bang the Drum, Mango Groove continues to be an act that truly reaches the hearts of all South Africans.

Website: http://www.mangogroove.co.za
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CJMangoGroove
Location: Johannesburg

Claire was kind enough to answer the following questions:

Personal

Q: How would you like to be introduced at a social event?

A: In my personal capacity – Claire Leyden. In my work capacity – Claire Johnston.

Q: Tell us something that not many others know about you. This could be anything from a phobia to your favorite movie.

A: I am an only child and I love eating and reading at the same time. One is almost a trigger for the other!

Q: What do you enjoy doing when you want to get away from it all?

A: The African bush always calls me: anything from getting out into the wilderness to just watching a bird in our own garden.. very redemptive.

Q: How would you describe your dream home and where in South African would you want it to be?

A: A difficult one, as we love our home as it is. Ideally, perhaps, it would be quite old (Victorian/Edwardian), with a huge stoep, and overlooking a large river with crocs, hippos, elephants, birds and other wonderful things. I would probably also need it to have broadband!

This question was proudly sponsored by Private Property - Fancy a private game reserve? How about this R2.2m piece of authentic Africa: 2500sq.m in a private game reserve only 13km west of the town centre of Warmbaths (Bela-Bela).

Mango Groove

Q: You joined Mango Groove at the age of 17 while still at school. What was the reaction from your parents to the news and were they supportive of your early career?

A: My mum and step dad were always very supportive of my singing. I’d been a ”professional performer” in a way since I was 10 (in the Brickhill-Burke production of ”Annie”), so I think they always knew which path I was going to follow. In fact, I recall my mum being disappointed when I opted to do a straight BA at WITS instead of Drama, as planned.

Q: Can you describe the moment when you first heard a Mango Groove song being played on the radio?

A: Hmmm, do you know that I can’t?! But what I do recall very clearly was the thrill of hearing a street cleaner whistling the chorus of the Mango song ‘Move up’ from my Cape Town Hotel room window in 1987.

Q: Mango Groove have enjoyed many successes including 12 number 1 hits, performing for the Freddie Mercury tribute to an estimated audience of a billion people and being only group to stay at the top of the South African national charts for over a year. Which of the band’s numerous accolades are you most proud of?

A: A tough call, but a couple of things stand out: being part of our country’s very first democratic Inauguration concert (there must have been a couple of hundred thousand people there, and what an emotional event!), and being the only SA act to perform at the official concert celebrating the handover of Hong Kong to China.

Q: Your new album, “Bang the Drum“, comes 14 years after your last full studio album. What was it like getting back into the studio as a band and how would you describe the album to someone unfamiliar with your previous work?

A: It was really great to get back into the studio, I must say. We elected to go back to the studio where we recorded our first two albums, so it was a bit like coming home! The album only took us 4 months to record, so everything felt pretty instinctive and effortless. The new album is very familiar Mango Groove, and pretty much ”back to our roots”: a noisy, live mixture of ’50s and ’60s urban music styles (Kwela, Marabi, Mbaqanga) and contemporary pop… Simple pop songs, simple choruses and tight arrangements.

Q: Can you give us an insight into your creative process. What comes first, the lyrics, the melody or does it depend on the song?

A: I’d say it’s often driven by a chorus title, or alternatively by a penny whistle or horn line. A lot of toil and trial and error follows, but ultimately it’s a pretty organic process.

Q: What can we look forward to from Mango Groove in the years ahead?

A: Where do I begin? Seriously, though, we will be touring SA in April this year and are also looking to get back to some foreign shores later on in the year. There’s a live DVD in the pipeline, and who knows what in the future? A musical or two, more albums, stuffed toys… we take these things as they come :)

Life in South Africa

Q: What do you enjoy most about living in South Africa?

A: I love the people, the weather, the bush, the birds and the animals.

Q: When asked internationally about crime in South Africa, what is your response?

A: It’s a massive challenge for our country, certainly, but I have confidence that we are tackling it together. Living or travelling in South Africa, one simply has to be vigilant, and smart about how you do things.

Q: To which three local attractions would you first take an international visitor?

A: An unfair question, as there are so many!

Certainly the Kruger Park (for its sheer scale and variety), the Wild Coast, the Eastern Cape (John – my husband and founding member of Mango Groove – and I have a personal attachment to Shamwari and we have spent a lot of time there), the Cradle of Humankind ( for a sense of where have we all come from as human beings) and The Apartheid Museum ( for a sense of how far we have come as a nation). That’s 5 isn’t it?

Q: South Africa’s greatest musical export is?

A: Its variety! It could be anything from Ladysmith Black Mambazo to Seether, with everything in between.

General

Q: Which of your lyrics would you most like to be remembered for?

A: “Another Time, Another Place, Another Country, Another State of Grace. You’ll walk beside me, I’ll tell you no lies, and then you’ll see Another Country in my eyes”. Nice work, John – I wish I had written them!

Q: Do you follow any rituals before getting up on stage to perform?

A: I’m always nervous (I’ll never lose that), but apart from last-minute ”fussing” (clothes, make up), I generally just pace and warm up my voice. Oh, and I also knock back a neat scotch (no ice)!

Q: What are your thoughts on talent contests such as American Idols? Do you think you would’ve entered if they were around when you were first starting out?

A: Talent competitions in one form or another have always been part of our business, and they are one of many ways one can get noticed or signed. They have a high-profile now, given how much reality TV is out there, but I’m not persuaded that they are the backbone of the industry.

Talent rises to the top in many ways, and I would say that there are more dominant mechanisms for unearthing this talent: record companies, production companies, talent scouts, the live circuit and (perhaps above all) the tenacity and passion of artists themselves.

Looking at the global industry, the artists that dominate still tend to be pretty ”organic” and self-starting, with the Talent Contest competitors forming a small part of this.

Would I have entered? Very possibly.

Q: If you could invite any three South Africans to an intimate dinner party, who would you invite and what would you serve for dessert?

A: Guest List: HF Verwoerd, BJ Vorster, PW Botha. Topic: What the hell were you thinking? Dessert:Humble Pie!

Q: Where would you like to wake up tomorrow?

A: In my own bed, of course!

Q: Who would you most like to read about on Izimvo and what would you like to ask them?

A: South Africa has so many stories to tell, so I would be spoilt for choice. :)

We’d like to thank Claire for taking the time to answer our questions and wish her and the other members of Mango Groove every success with the future.

Bang the Drum

If you have not already done so, be sure to go out and get Mango Groove’s latest album, Bang the Drum. This 16 track offering delivers the quintessential “Mango Sound” and is a must for any fan of this super group.