When Lady X, real name Xolisa Mvula, stepped onto the red carpet at the 28th South African Music Awards she turned heads. Her outfit showed off her natural curves and her hairdo was even more of an attention grabber.
She may have not gone home with the award for SAMA28 Artist of the Year but one can’t blame the musician for going all out for the big music night. After all, being nominated for the awards is a big deal.
The name Lady X may be new to some people, as she took a break from the industry after it became a dark place for her. Lady X has been in the Mzansi music industry for years now, this isn’t even her first South African Music Awards nomination.
She is now in a better place and her focus is on her music and celebrating herself for who she is.
Daring to dream and live her life to the fullest, Lady X stunned on the red carpet, as she was unapologetic about owning who she is. It showed on the carpet as she had all the cameras clicking away in her direction.
Lady X was the creative director of her look, as an independent artist she finds herself being the brains behind a lot of her looks and the running of the day-to-day admin of her career.
The fierce musician owns her sexiness and often has her distributors laughing as they wonder if her next album cover will have her naked.
Softn’ free assisted Lady X with ensuring she looked her absolute best on music’s big night. The hair-care brand provided her with an entire glam squad, giving her the five star treatment.
After hearing her story in an interview she did with DJ Sbu the brand reached out as they were drawn to her “authenticity and energy” and wanted to provide her with anything she would need to be prepared for the SAMAS28.
Lady X describes the moment as a “dream come true”, she acknowledges that their support meant a lot to her and left her in absolute disbelief.
In her interview with IOL Entertainment, Lady X shared details about her newest single “Dare to Dream”. Initially the song was titled “Dream” but on its re-release it was titled “Dare to Dream”.
Taken from her first EP “Rebirth”, the track is a feel good song that will get anyone in a celebratory mood, and serves as Lady X’s re-entry into the music scene.
“The break was for a lot of reasons, but I just had to take a break from the music industry itself. It had become a very unhappy and dark place for me. I took a break after my 2019 SAMAs after her debut album.”
Lady X shared that she ended up learning about the ugly reality that comes with the music industry which differed from what she had grown up imagining it to be.
Her experiences as an independent female artist in the music industry were not all rosy as she was met with ugly truths of the industry that lead her into a dark depression.
Losing her spark for music and not connecting with the industry anymore led Lady X into making the decision to put herself first, especially her mental health.
“I just didn’t want to be in it any more between misogyny and all the ugly truths. I just couldn’t take it anymore,” said Lady X.
Her music is sort of a journal and consists of messages of hope and inspiration. Her song “Wela” itself is an ode to her journey and a message to people to continue with their journeys despite the hardships that they have encountered.
“Also coming from being in a hiatus it was like I don’t know what’s going on but all I can do is rise from the past because it doesn’t define me. I can rise and live and to look at my past and scars that I bear from my past and use them as my strength and power.”
Having come from a difficult time with her battle with depression, Lady X is stepping into a new season, she is up for an award at the upcoming first annual Basadi in Music Awards after being nominated for Sofn'free Dance Artist of the Year.
Lady X opened up about and shared that prior to her blessing season she had almost committed suicide and reflecting back on that dark moment and all that has since happened she said; “I was having a conversation with my father and I said to him, if I had taken my life I wouldn’t be experiencing all of this.”
The artist emphasises the importance of talking about your struggles and trying to have real people around you as life can be very hard making it hard to keep going.
Her story is an inspiration to women who are trying to make it in the industry and find themselves faced with the hardships that come with the journey.
Lady X is a testament that sometimes you just need to keep going, surround yourself with a strong support system and ride the wave, don’t drown.