In collaboration with
Songwriter, DJ and producer Lady Du tells us how she's navigating the industry and talks about her recent UK tour, as well as her ongoing collaboration with BULLDOG Gin.
After cutting her teeth collaborating with some of Amapiano's biggest names including Kabza De Small, DBN Gogo, Mr Jazzi Q and Kamo Mphela, Lady Du continues to remain BOLD through the journey and to her own art. Today, her catalogue is of multi-platinum hits including uZuma Yi Star, Woza, Catalia and the all-time classic Umsebenzi Wethu.
The Amapiano royalty recently concluded her UK tour with memorable performances in Leeds and Northampton. Supported by BULLDOG Gin, the partnership traces back to 2021, which debuted with the #BeginBold digital storytelling series.
"It is such an honour to have someone invest in my brand so much because they have been working with me for the past 3 years and because at times our own local brands don’t give us the attention in terms of work and what we should do career-wise. BULLDOG Gin did exactly that. They worked with me when I had no followers. I had nothing to give them but they told my story."
In celebrating the tour and championing those who #beginbold, BULLDOG Gin offered two of Lady Du’s fans the opportunity to take part in the trip, after a competition was run earlier this year – and two lucky locals did just that.
Sharing her experience about the tour and the Amapiano impact in the UK, Lady Du says:
"I think internationally people understand value over brand and locally, it is not the same. The fact that you are in a different country where people’s accents and languages are different but they sing your songs - it is so amazing and authentic. Being in a different environment where people embrace you is different to being around people who know you and already dance to your music because they love you. Finding a fresh new crowd in a different setting and environment is amazing. In the UK they are also embracing piano because it is a new sound for them, whereas in SA, it is a remix of Kwaito."
Lady Du is not only topping the charts and making hits, but behind the scenes, she's pushing the boundaries by educating and supporting upcoming artists. Her journey could have never been easy because of the countless challenges she came across.
We asked her how she remains BOLD through the journey and challenges as an artist;
"I have always been a transparent person. I do not believe in editing pictures, looking like something I am not. I do not believe in trying to create a character outside of who I am. Just being myself has worked for me so much because I don’t have to do anything that is outside of who I am to impress people. I always try to keep strong because I know how many people are looking at me and I know how many kids are inspired because my brand is for kids too. I remain BOLD by making sure that I am aware of what I am doing and that I read everything the kids say to me. It is not about the fact that I am a strong person, but the inspiration I get from the people, so I fight as much as I can to make sure I teach the kids in the process. "
Up next on her schedule, Lady Du will be dropping a 20-track album that will reflect her story.
"I have to give the people what they want and I want to tell my story. People know I know how to sing, I know how to rap, but they don’t know my story. The reason I have so many tracks on the album is because that is the story of my life. I worked on the album for a year and a half. "
To wrap the BULLDOG Gin tour partnership, Lady Du will be doing two more shows on home soil in both Johannesburg and Cape Town. Fans can expect to see Lady Du at Rands in Cape Town on 03 December 2022, while the Johannesburg show date and location is yet to be announced.
See show dates & venues below:
Cape Town: 03 December | Rands
Johannesburg: 2023 | TBC
#BEGINBOLD
#BULLDOGGIN
