The first thing that took me by surprise was Skye Wanda’s amazing sense of humour. When you see this well-composed superstar, you’d imagine she’s serious and overtly mature. But you couldn’t be further from the truth. From the time Skye walked into the studio we were in stitches with her light heartedness and beautiful aura.

For those of you who may not know, Skye began her musical journey in the Hip Hop scene in Durban in the early 2000s. I remember at some point her and I were the only females at most of the Hip Hop gigs. I’d heard that we were preceded by a lady called Endz The Otherness (who I later caught up with and discovered she’d veered into TV Production), and at some point we were visited by the Eastern Cape’s Uneek (Who’s now responsible for a Hip Hop event called The Hip Hop Cult hosted in Soweto, Johannesburg).

I’ll never forget, Skye and I were at a Hip Hop event in what might have been 2005, on the rooftop of a venue in Berea, and the three of us were in the same space. Skye, Uneek and I. And Alligator MC said to me, pointing at Uneek - who was highly pregnant - “Lex, go talk to her. Should she be doing what she’s doing while highly pregnant?”. Of course I need not say more. The Underground Hip Hop space was unruly from the get go- for both men and women. And on that particular day the event was running a few hours late. But we were used to that.

Not everyone who went through that era stayed there, there are many who have evolved into more mainstream paths as professional musicians making waves nationally - and Skye Wanda is one of those we can proudly celebrate as Durban’s very own. Check out the interview we had with SAMRO Songwriter Of The Year Basadi In Music Award Winner for 2022 - Skye Wanda.

Written By Lex LaFoy