Dutch singer Joya Mooi shares her joy about finally performing in Mzansi

SA-Dutch singer Joya Mooi is on a mission to get in touch with her home.

The singer-songwriter has roots in SA and the Netherlands and her music is a blend of soul and alternative R&B with a strong jazz influence. She is currently on tour in SA.

Talking to TshisaLIVE ahead of her show in Pretoria, she said she was excited.

“It's my first official tour so that's why I'm being vocal about it. I receive a lot of messages from people in SA who tell me they didn't know I'm South African and I think I have to spread the message more.

"This is such a long dream of mine. My family is from here so the need was very strong to be home, and not only to be home but enjoy my passion to make music and really explore the music scene here. I think there are some similarities and I have so much more to offer so that's why its very interesting for me,” she said.

She is set on collaborations with artists she has been eyeing.

“I really love Darkie Fiction and Shekinah. I've been checking out SA artists so I would definitely be open for features and collaborating together.”

The 30-year-old said she came here for the first time at the age of six when her father  returned from exile and she fell in love.

Joya wanted to experience and explore SA on her own terms and her shows are the  culmination of a “coming back home” of sorts. She said Modimo made people realise she had ties with Mzansi.

“Spiritually it was very important to see SA with my own eyes because my father has a lot of trauma from the period he suffered in SA and Angola. He was in Russia in training camps and did a lot of important stuff but I think his view of SA is through the eyes of someone who has been through trauma. I wanted to experience it myself. I wanted to make it my own home. That's the most important thing, knowing that part of myself really well and not just saying 'I'm from SA'. I really wanted to connect the two.”

Joya's parents may have used arms to get the message across. She said hers is to carry on but use words to reach out to the depths of people's souls

“Both my parents were about speaking out but were using their hands and being vocal. I think with my power to sing, I  want to use my message to tell my story and vision. I think I'm using my own political beliefs through music. I'm really honest about the things I write about. I write about my relationship with my father and everything that's really important about being part of life.  I don't only want to write about basic stuff you can hear on the radio all day. Its deep stuff so I think that's where my message comes across.”

“ I think I made peace with not being a mainstream artist because the topics are different from what some mainstream artist are doing. I want to stay truthful in life and in music. If I don't reflect myself in music then what am I doing? I want to stay authentically myself."