In this conversation, South African composer, singer, songwriter and visual artist Asanda “Msaki” Lusaseni opens up about what it really takes to catch songs between worlds while keeping your heart soft and your life intact. She traces her journey from an academic, sports driven Eastern Cape childhood and an unfinished fine art degree to leaving university, building her own label and learning the business side so she could protect the soul of her songs.​

Msaki speaks about independence as a spiritual and structural choice, why she now sees the music value chain as a circular diagram, and how Out Black Continuum and Similar Life retreats were born from her own needs as a burnt out artist searching for overflow again. She shares how motherhood, homeschooling and creative wellness forced her to redraw boundaries with touring, and why she refuses the idea that artists “owe” constant performances to anyone.​

We dive into songwriting camps in Los Angeles and Nashville, the mentorship of writers like Dan Wilson, and her dream of building a real songwriting infrastructure on the continent. Along the way she unpacks collaboration, genre fluid performance, the “jack of all trades” label, and what it means to sing the same essential song through music, poetry, diagrams and community spaces.​

If you are an independent creative, a parent in the arts or simply someone trying to make honest work without losing yourself, this episode offers language, tools and quiet courage for your own journey.

#SouthAfricanMusic #IndependentArtist #Songwriting #AfricanMusic #BusinessofMusic