Moonchild Sanelly on Empowerment, Self-Love, and Breaking All the Rules
With her signature blue hair and bold, unapologetic candor, Moonchild Sanelly has become a trailblazer in the global music scene. First gaining recognition with her 2015 studio album Rabulapha!, Moonchild’s tracks are laced with hypnotic rhythms and assertive lyricism, oft-exploring themes of sexuality, female empowerment, and self-determination.
From dominating underground dance floors with her unmistakable vocal delivery to acing mainstream collaborations with Beyoncé, Gorillaz, and Major Lazer, Moonchild’s music stands as an undeniable celebration of female self-expression and defiance against self-limiting societal norms and the forces that aim to keep us there.
KP: I read your story, and I was so immediately both taken aback and deeply touched by your ability to not only persevere, but to thrive in the face of so many personal challenges and tragedies. As someone who has also had way too big of a share of trials and tribulations in her life, I know, at times, the deeper I was pushed into the ground, the taller I grew. But I also know that a lot of people struggle with finding the will or the ability to persist through so many obstacles.
Is there anything that you've been through in particular that served as a turning point in your life or personal development? What advice would you lend to women who wish to find the same perseverance in their lives?
MS: The most dangerous you could ever be is when you know that you are money, when you are in your purpose. Everything comes from you being in your purpose, and that level of understanding is very dangerous for anyone that's trying to fuck you up – you're unfuckable with. So get to your purpose, because you'll never be tired, because it's what you were born for. And until then, you might be shaken, pushed, found, and put aside, but when you know that that's your biggest power, you're scary. You're a winner, forever you.
KP: You fight relentlessly for female empowerment through your music, for “liberation for women, in the bedroom, in the boardroom, knowing your power… I needed to be heard by a lot of people.” Why do you feel it’s most important to explore these topics through your art, and how do you push past any criticism regarding your message?
MS: Fuck people. Number two, I need for my voice to be heard, because owning a vagina is an adventure sport. Me choosing liberation and being a voice for vagina and the black sheep in the shakers of society is because I've been violated. But my ability to find a silver lining within any situation has been how I found myself just naturally fighting for myself and fighting for everyone else who will never be in my position. So I am definitely the president for the orgasm – for female orgasm. My voice needs to be heard because there are too many oppressed, powerful vagina owners that need to know that we are together. We are here. We are power. There's no head without a neck, and fuck your neck. I'm not an anatomist. I'm a bad bitch.
KP: You are a fierce advocate for both body positivity and self-love. What advice would you lend to women who struggle with body image and self-confidence?
MS: A lot of things can be avoided by you owning your body. For instance, when you're having sex in the dark because you don't like a specific part of your body, that basically puts you in a position where – even if you're using a condom – there's still crabs. But guess what? Because you didn’t love yourself enough, you didn’t see them, and then you fuck yourself over, stepping on your own pussy – literally, as the courageous prophet of our time in South Africa said. So when you are in love and you love yourself, you don't have that ability – you don't have the capability of tolerating bullshit by [them] making you feel like it's special. Choose yourself first so you’re able to protect yourself. I carry condoms like lip gloss, and I'm able to use my voice. If a motherfucker is sweating on their own, I'm able to take my panties and kick them out, because sex is not charity. Sex is an equal participant sport. So until then, fuck off.
“Bitch, if you are alive, you better own who you are.”
KP: You’ve often spoken about embracing your uniqueness and unapologetically expressing yourself, something that I so wholeheartedly commend. Were there any specific moments in your life when you realized the power of being true to yourself?
MS: Absolutely… I still have to learn to hear my voice when I'm recording before all the masters and stuff, which is funny because it's actually my magic. I've lived with my voice for my entire existence, but having to learn to understand it because it's so different gives me an angle. People need to find a relation to understand me because I'm that different, and that open about my difference. I get it though because I, too, am still learning how to hear my voice back as I record. I used to cringe way more, but now, because I know it's power, I’ve learned to love it and love it and love it and love it. Whatever I feel about it, those are feelings based only on the fact that there's no reference of someone with a voice like mine. I'm the only one who has to love it before I share it – so there’s a tip.
KP: You’ve recently stated that, “Having a vagina is an adventure sport, and if you survive, you might as well own who you are,” which both made me laugh and also nod in deep commiseration – being a woman is incredibly difficult on so many levels that only we can truly understand.
MS: Bitch, if you are alive, you better own who you are.
KP: What was a time in which misogyny presented a challenge, and how did you overcome it?
MS: Oh honey, when I was making commercial hits, motherfuckers would try to hit knowing it's a hit, and I had to learn how to say “fuck you” to a plate of dicks while making sure the song comes out. So, like my song, “Pussy Tangle,” that's my name – it's a real thing. I know how to pussy tangle. I will get what I want, and I will make you think that you are going to get what you want. Moral of the story – win, win, or win. Misogyny is there forever, but my talent is there forever, too, so fuck your penis. Let's make hits, no hit.
KP: Your latest album, Full Moon, you’ve said is “all of [you], lit up in [your] entirety. The arrival of [your] whole self.” What inspired the development of the record?
MS: I think what inspired the development of the record was, firstly, not having a plan. I didn't know what I was going to talk about. But I feel like with the choices we made in regard to me being away from the busy, the hustle, the bustle, the quickness, the sweetness – I was able to reflect back. First of all, I've been single for so many years now, so I didn't necessarily have things to complain about regarding a partner, which made me remember things that got me here – the things that I did not have time to dwell on because I was focused on the goal. I was so secluded that I let the music evoke whatever it did, and I followed it.
So I had no control; I just let the honesty be based on the one guaranteed part of the album being created, which was the producer. I'm the one who's never in a box, but we keep it in sync by getting someone who maintains the line – that's the production.
So I didn't have a plan, but I've always got something to say. Because we move so quickly, you forget other things – but they're always in the back of your mind, and they somehow come back. So the stories of sacrifice – like the last song in the album, which is about abortions – basically, I had to get there because I'd be here with five kids. Would I be here with five kids? Absolutely not.
That's why the art of having to fight – the art of having to find a silver lining – is power, because nothing can ever break you. So I didn't have a plan. I just let the music do the talking, and I walked.
“I hate rules. I don’t follow nothing. I create my own world. I create my own music. I do shit my own way. ”
KP: You’re known for often blending genres, and this album was no different, weaving this incredibly rich tapestry of so many different sounds. Who are some of your favorite artists or inspirations?
MS: I love Beyoncé. I'm going to be her forever. Even when my light-skinned friend wanted to be Beyoncé when we played Destiny's Child as a kid, I would beat her by being the dark-skinned girl who had the voice. That's how I fought for Beyoncé. Also Spice Girls – without knowing they were part of my liberation – because when I watch their documentaries now, I'm just like, “Shit, these were my babysitters.” I didn't even realize that they were part of the normalization of girl power, and I was so exposed to that as a kid. I remember singing, “I'm horny, horny, horny, horny,” not attached to sex, but it's the fact that it was so edgy… that it was so normal for me to sing it… that my existence has such reference to the music babysitters of my upbringing. So, intentionally and unintentionally, I was brought up by every powerful, rebellious, winning, champion bitch.
KP: How do you approach creating music that defies traditional categorization and boundaries?
MS: I hate rules. I don't follow nothing. I create my own world. I create my own music. I do shit my own way. So I'll forever stay humble because I'm pretty aware of what it is that we are achieving, because I'm pretty intentional. Visionary. That's my name.
KP: There are numerous deeply personal tracks on the album, including “Mntanami” and “To Kill a Single Girl (Tequila),” perhaps some of your most vulnerable to date. What inspired you to reveal as much of yourself as you did?
MS: Being single. I had no bitch to complain about, so I had to look at myself. And because I've been single for so long, the only thing that I could talk about was me. So everything that was forgotten came to life, and I lit it.
So in regard to “Tequila,” I was left with a lot of regrets, and I was tired of myself and my sorrows. I'm all about changing it, because you can't cry about or apologize for the same thing forever. So the same way that I move in regard to my relationships, I had to make a choice to quit [tequila] because I was hurting the people that chose to love me – my first family is in blood.
The other song, “Mdanami,” comes from a place of super, super forgiveness and letting go. That was definitely a process. I guess it’s a testament to the art of letting go, because I'm probably the closest person to my dad now. Why? Because I have met the man before he put sperm in my mother's womb, you know? And having met that man, he's funnier than the dad I needed. So I don't need him as a dad right now, but I've met the man, and we're besties. And, therefore, he has become a better dad. We've got the tightest relationship because it's honesty-operated, but it doesn't come with any bitterness.
I think in this album you get to hear my eight years of having the same therapist – intentionally wanting to move better, intentionally wanting to let go, intentionally wanting to see light in every dark part of my existence – wanting to just be a better human for the people that choose to love you and walk with you.
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Photography: Grace Pickering
