The Evolution of Judith

JUDITH SEPHUMA, 44, is on a re-invention mode, which includes a new image and global domination.

- Dudu Mvimbi Leshabane

 Judith Sephuma is in high spirits, and her upbeat aura spreads through the room. The songstress still dons her trademark dreadlocks, and is rocking a dress that shows off her sexy legs. These days, her Instagram account is filled with pictures that flaunt her new body.

“My daughter forced me join Instagram. She was like ‘mom, people love you and they want to know what you’re doing’. Initially she’d check my posts. But now I’m even better than her,” says the artist in laughter.

With a following of more than 100 000 on both Twitter and Instagram, the mother of two is in the know and understands that the market is forever changing. This is why she’s constantly looking for new ways to reinvent herself.

“You have to keep track and move with the times. Don’t stay in one place for too long. Try to be relevant to your market.

“Lately I’m experiencing that thing of feeling like I’ve done everything. But I don’t want to feel like I’ve reached the ceiling. In South Africa you can only do so much as an artist and this applies to every legend in our country. I want more for my career. I always want to make today better than the last time. With me every project is a new challenge. I want to be an inspiration to other.”

On the day of our interview, the singer had just performed at a corporate gig, and she explains: “As an artist you need to be smart and creative. Don’t always rely on what worked the last time. Small things like song selection make a huge difference. Take today’s gig for example – sometimes you’ll be performing and only a few people know or can relate to the songs. What do you do? I immediately change the program on the spot. I went back to singing music from A Cry, A Smile,A Dance and it worked. The mood in the room changed. My band knows that nothing is predictable with me.”