WATCH | Hair today, gone tomorrow - Elaine conquers the world with new sound

Nothing like a haircut to cue in a new era, and singer Elaine has done exactly that.

Sporting a new blonde pixie, on Tuesday the songbird known for her R&B hits You’re the One and Risky ushered in a new Afro-electronic era at Warner Music’s local headquarters in Sandton. New single One More Dance with Major League DJz offers a taste of the new era.

She breaks it down to Sowetan.

What era is Elaine in right now?

Calm, chilled and genuinely having the most fun. I’m dancing through life. I’m not allowing problems to consume me anymore because I’ve survived what I once thought I’d never overcome. I’m grateful, embracing myself and challenging myself to become better.

I woke up one day and realised I’m my biggest competition, and I don’t want this season of my life to miss me, all because of not being present.

Is it difficult convincing fans of the new sound?

It was hard in the beginning because people wanted to box me. There was resistance and people questioned why I was experimenting. But I don’t believe artists should be punished for trying something different. I don’t want to die for one genre. I want to collaborate, evolve, and become a global artist.

To do that, you have to be versatile. I’m independent, so every decision I make has to align with where I want my career to go. If I want to perform at festivals around the world, I have to make festival music.

What inspired the new haircut?

You know what they say. “If you see a woman cut her hair, you know she’s about to change the world.” And that’s how I feel. Every woman reaches a point where she’s ready for change. Maybe it was a little crash-out, a fresh start, or probably it was both.

But I’ve always gone through different eras, and being an artist allows me to express myself through my music, fashion, and hair. I also want to inspire women out there to feel confident to wear their natural hair.

Why step into Afro-electronic?

After I saw the overwhelming reception to the song Vele Uyena [Risk It All] by Skyla Tylaa, on which I’m featured with JazzWrld, Thukuthela & Solaariss, I realised that maybe I should continue moving and blending that sound. At the beginning of the year, I started working on my album. I’ve already made a lot of music; I just need to narrow down the songs I want for this project.

This project isn’t an R&B project; it’s electronic. I wasn’t creating from heartbreak. I was creating from gratitude, fulfilment and happiness.

How did One More Dance come about?

Banele and Bandile [Major League DJz] have been supportive of my career for the longest time. We worked on a song years ago, and as soon as I finished recording One More Dance, I knew they were the only musicians who could take the song to another level. I sent it to them, and they were on board.

What I appreciated the most was that even though they’re busy with their Ibiza residency, they made time to fly back to SA and shoot the music video with me.

What was it like collaborating with other power women vocalists?

Amazing. I’ve been spending a lot of time in the studio with artists like Shekhinah and Ami Faku. They are my girls, and it’s always a refreshing experience when we’re all together. We talk about everything, from the challenges women face in music to the things we want to change, our families, heartbreak, happiness, and life in general. That’s what makes those sessions so special.

Sowetan