In 2016, Moonchild Sanelly wrote down a list of goals she wanted to achieve in the next 10 years, and they included collaborating with Beyoncé, Diplo and Damon Albarn.

She achieved those goals in half the time, singing on Gorillaz' 2020 album Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez, collaborating with Beyoncé on the song “My Power” from The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack, and singing with Diplo on DJ Raybel’s song “Whole Night”.

Driven by an unshakable self belief, an image that turns heads, and a genre of music that she calls Future Ghetto Funk – which incorporates South African house, R&B, electro, pop, funk and rock – Moonchild Sanelly’s rise from the South African city of Port Elizabeth has been nothing short of spectacular.

She calls herself the president of the female orgasm and preaches messages of sexual positivity and emancipation, and her latest album Phases seeks to give a voice to women from all walks of life.

We talk about it all in this interview.