In the latest episode of the Long Story Short interview series. Which features singer, songwriter, and music teacher Nothende Madumo. She recounts how she never got paid for her hit song with Lulo Café ‘I Wanna Love You’.
“Because I’m a co-owner of the song I would enquire (with Lulo Café), I see you’ve released overseas, and there’s remixes, what can we do? That’s when I started facing challenges with I Wanna Love You, and I think it changed how I experienced the song, whereas before it was this beautiful experience, it gradually became a very difficult experience, over time it got to a point where didn’t even want to hear the song,” Nothende stated.
Released in 2010 as the lead single for Lulo’s debut album What About Soul. The song was a global hit with Remixes by internationally renowned DJs.
“I faced so many degrees of whether its exploitation, sabotage, I experienced a lot of things with that song, a lot of things that many people may be aware of when it comes to the music industry, you hear this person didn’t get their money, or this person is exploiting, and I guess I just experienced it a lot from that one song.”
Nothende relives how the battle led to her being blacklisted from one commercial radio station and media. Leading to her financial struggles and battle with anger and depression.
“I remember I went to an interview on radio and it was a Valentines and there were other artists there, because it’s love, they thought the perfect song to play would be Remember Love, and the producer of the show couldn’t find my song, I learned that day that through my process and experience and situation with the song, it somehow resulted in my song being removed from radio. Being blacklisted is a real thing in the industry,” she said.
In 2003, she recorded her chart-topping debut song OOH for the Gaz’lam Soundtrack produced by the prolific Kaybee. Who produced Zola’s first album Umdlwembe. She has released two albums, Love Light & Rebirth and featured on some of the biggest South African hip hop songs.
She also explored house music with her hit single Remember Love and her feature on Lulo Cafe’s hit song I Wanna Love You.
Nothende has since founded a music academy Heart 2 Art. Through which she teaches music industry dynamics, songwriting, and performance. She’s currently working on new music.
Watch Nothende | Long Story Short on Eric Says & Co Youtube channel here