Uncle Waffles Says 'Putting Amapiano on the Map' Is Her ‘Main Priority’ | The Green Room - video Dailymotion

Rolling Stone

The DJ from Eswatini talks repping her homeland for an episode of The Green Room at UnitedMasters Grammys event.

Transcript

00:00 (upbeat music)

00:02 - All right, we are here with Uncle Waffles.

00:14 Now I just need to ask, we were just talking about this,

00:17 how has LA been?

00:19 'Cause you've been here for a little minute.

00:20 - Yeah, it's been extremely hectic, but so beautiful.

00:24 I'm so happy to be involved in all the things

00:25 that I've been able to be invited to.

00:27 So yeah, it's been hectic, but worth it.

00:29 - And I know that, I'm sure as a DJ, I don't know,

00:32 but I'm sure it's really receptive to what you're feeling.

00:35 What are you excited about for tonight's performance?

00:38 And what do you think you're gonna channel

00:40 and bring into tonight?

00:41 - I'm excited to be doing a whole headline show

00:44 as an Amapiano act.

00:46 Putting Amapiano on the map is my main priority.

00:49 So getting to headline shows and getting to showcase piano,

00:52 very excited to see how people feel in me, you know?

00:55 - And I'm pretty sure they're gonna be feeling you.

00:56 I can already hear it.

00:57 Just like, as we're getting ready.

00:59 - Thanks.

01:00 - I know they're ready.

01:01 You did an interview with Rolling Stones' Manka Perkonte.

01:04 I think she followed you for your show in Brooklyn.

01:08 And one thing I really appreciated about that

01:11 is that you made sure that you brought a choreographer

01:14 from South Africa to work with your dancers

01:17 who may not be as familiar with the nuances

01:19 of South African dance.

01:21 Tell me about the importance of being where you are

01:23 as a South African artist and how intentional you are

01:26 about making sure that you're representing your people

01:28 and your culture to the fullest.

01:30 - I think it's very important to,

01:32 as you're taking the sound to the world,

01:34 to teach people authentically what the sound is.

01:36 So even the dancing, very important to the sound.

01:38 So bringing Lychee was very important

01:40 because I knew that it's not people's particular pocket.

01:43 Yes, they have TikTok,

01:44 but the pocket in itself is quite difficult.

01:46 So I really wanted to make sure

01:48 that my first headline show didn't miss out on anything,

01:51 from the music to the choreography, everything was,

01:53 to the tea and representing its people well.

01:55 - So let's talk about how you are redefining

01:58 what it means to perform as a DJ.

02:00 I think it's really invigorating to watch you,

02:04 you know, like you're up there, you're feeling the crowd,

02:05 and then you say, hold up, I got a little something.

02:07 You come to the front, your dancers are with you.

02:10 What inspired you to take it a step further?

02:13 - So I realized that as we're doing more international shows,

02:17 as we're going to the world,

02:18 people don't understand the genre.

02:19 People don't understand the words,

02:21 so they need a way to connect.

02:23 And because dance is such a forefront in piano,

02:26 I always knew that I need to take it to another level.

02:29 As much as people don't understand the language,

02:31 people understand dance.

02:32 That's something that doesn't need to be explained to anyone.

02:34 People always get it.

02:36 I go to shows where I'm the first touch they have of piano,

02:39 and I always want to show them that there's the music,

02:41 but the music goes hand in hand with the dancing.

02:44 The dancing is extremely important.

02:45 So yeah, I discovered that if I want to keep showcasing

02:48 the sound and growing bigger as an artist also,

02:51 there needs to be a lot more performance.

02:53 - And we are thankful, okay?

02:55 I will say that much.

02:56 - And our ex.

02:57 - I think that's how we really got to know who you are.

03:01 I think that was a lot of people's first taste

03:03 of who Uncle Waffles is.

03:05 So how did you combat that pressure

03:07 of being seen as just a viral act?

03:08 I know that it can be hard to feel that the pressure

03:12 of like, okay, and what's she gonna do next?

03:14 How did you challenge yourself to maybe either

03:18 not think about it or to think about it as fuel?

03:20 - We always thought about it.

03:21 We always wanted to make sure that there's a big moment,

03:24 but there's a big moment to skyrocket you

03:26 to doing other things.

03:27 So we always took it as this is the start.

03:30 And it's a great start.

03:32 It's a great push.

03:33 So it was always about, okay, this is not the end.

03:36 Wake up, do it again.

03:37 Wake up, do it again.

03:38 If anything, you can go viral once,

03:40 show them you can go viral next time,

03:41 and next time, and next time.

03:44 - In them times after that.

03:45 - Yes.

03:46 - In them times after that.

03:47 - Yes.

03:48 - We will absolutely be doing that.

03:49 - Yes.

03:49 - That's for sure.

03:51 So let's take a look at just Uncle Waffles in general.

03:54 Before the cameras were rolling,

03:56 I was asking you about some of these fashion looks

03:58 that I will absolutely be taking.

04:00 I am so sorry, I will credit you.

04:02 - Thank you.

04:02 - But I will be taking you as just a vision board

04:04 and being like, creating me.

04:06 - Thank you.

04:06 - So how does DJing fit into the entirety

04:09 in the holistic vision of who Uncle Waffles is?

04:12 - I'm a firm believer in swag.

04:13 I feel like how people see it first is very important.

04:16 Yes, I'm a performer.

04:17 I'm also a bit introverted.

04:19 So I choose to showcase myself through my style.

04:22 So I feel like, why can't I be a fashion girl and a DJ?

04:25 You know, you expect a look, a dance, performance, DJ.

04:28 Yeah, a lot of things, yeah.

04:30 - Tell me about this look tonight

04:31 and what does that say about Uncle Waffles today?

04:34 - Okay, so today, some shows I choose comfort, but style.

04:37 - Right.

04:38 - 'Cause you know, I know that I'm gonna be sweating.

04:40 I'm getting my thing on.

04:41 So this look is just a cute little look, comfortable.

04:44 Ready to dance for y'all, you know?

04:46 Got my tassels out to picardy for y'all, you know what I say?

04:49 - Yeah.

04:50 - Not the tassels shaking.

04:52 - Yes.

04:54 - Oh, that's fire.

04:55 I need to see the little leather,

04:56 little fringe, something, something.

04:58 Okay, I might need to get that too.

05:00 See, this is the problem.

05:01 Now I've just got, I'm gonna go broke.

05:04 I'm gonna go bankrupt.

05:05 - Don't worry, don't worry.

05:06 I'm the house.

05:07 - Okay, prayer.

05:08 It's Uncle Waffles to the world.

05:10 - Thank you.

05:10 - Thank you so much for that.

05:11 I am really appreciative of artists like you

05:14 and artists like Nia Archives

05:16 who are really showing that women can be behind the decks

05:19 and you can command the stage in a completely new way.

05:23 And I wanna talk about that choice

05:26 and how you feel to carry that.

05:29 And also some of the other women DJs

05:31 that you've been choosing to highlight even with Fly Radio.

05:34 - Yeah, I think it's a big responsibility,

05:39 but I think I love seeing women take over

05:42 'cause you know, this is a very male dominated space.

05:45 Most of the stars within the DJ space are always male.

05:47 So having stars that are female emerging,

05:50 so many females coming out,

05:51 as much as people always have something to say,

05:54 but I think they're doing absolutely amazing.

05:58 All the girls that are coming out, emerging,

06:00 yes, some are inspired by me,

06:01 some are inspired by other people.

06:02 There's so many amazing people coming out

06:04 and I'm really happy.

06:05 I'm very happy.

06:06 There's plenty of space for all of us to coexist.

06:08 - They always got something to say.

06:10 (laughs)

06:13 That little gasp, that said a lot for me.

06:16 - But it's all good.

06:21 Here I am today, you know?

06:23 - If y'all were listening, that was loud.

06:24 - Very.

06:25 - Okay. - Very.

06:26 - Very, very loud.

06:28 So before we get out of here,

06:29 I really wanna take a moment to just think about

06:31 South Africa and how it shows up in your music.

06:35 And I want to know, let's just think of

06:39 how do you think South Africa shows up

06:42 in the textures, in the sounds?

06:45 I mean, obviously, my piano is everywhere,

06:47 but I wanna know about the topography.

06:49 Give me how the things that you see

06:52 and the things that you feel show up into the sets

06:54 in the music that you create.

06:56 - So I feel like the sound in itself

06:58 is just purely South African.

07:00 From the drums, it emerges from kwaito, from house.

07:03 So it's something that has been brewing over the years.

07:05 It's a sound that's from the hood.

07:06 So down from the music, the lock drums, the dancing,

07:10 everything is purely South African about the sound.

07:12 There's literally nothing you can take away from it.

07:14 Like the dancing, the small dancing,

07:16 the small nuances of dancing, the chants,

07:20 everything purely South African.

07:22 - I want to go because I need to experience it

07:25 in the way that you just explained it.

07:27 - You should.

07:28 - I need it in my spirit.

07:29 - Definitely.

07:30 - What's a perfect night out in South Africa for you?

07:33 With you and your friends.

07:35 What's on the list?

07:37 - Me as Uncle Waffles?

07:39 - You as Uncle Waffles and you as--

07:41 - Just the--

07:42 - Both.

07:43 - Well, me as Uncle Waffles does not go out on this show

07:47 because I'm always tired.

07:49 - Right.

07:50 - I'm always tired.

07:51 I'm like always, like right now,

07:52 if I'd lay down a little right now, it'd be like, you know?

07:57 Yeah, but basic things I love doing,

08:00 I love going to watch a movie for me.

08:05 I love a good movie.

08:06 Going out to one of the,

08:07 'cause so we have these chill bars

08:09 that's like opera tempo, these cool bars,

08:12 just to chill, you know?

08:13 That's for me.

08:14 I don't do the going out anymore

08:17 because I do it too much, you know?

08:19 - Right.

08:20 - I do it too much, yeah.

08:21 - Okay, well, maybe I'm gonna do that tonight.

08:23 All right.

08:24 So thank you so much.

08:25 - Thank you so much.

08:25 (upbeat music)

08:28 (upbeat music)

08:31 (upbeat music)

08:33 (upbeat music)

08:36 (upbeat music)

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08:41 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Uncle Waffles Says 'Putting Amapiano on the Map' Is Her ‘Main Priority’ | The Green Room

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