While widely known for her DJing, this is simply one facet of Charisse C’s skill set. The artist is a storyteller first and foremost. Beginning her formal relationship with music as a journalist, Charisse C ventured into DJing in 2017, before entering the arena of production and finally singing. Along the way the singer/songwriter added the titles of event curator, podcaster and label owner, all centred on Abantu.
Abantu began as a radio show in 2020, and since then it has developed into an event series, a storytelling driven cultural podcast and most recently a record label. At its core has been the uplifting of Southern African art and talent. A direction that has seen Charisse as being a bridge between continents.
Abantu Means People arrives as a celebration of 5 years of Abantu as a project and the spirit of collaboration. The music was created at Abantu’s inaugural recording camp in 2024, featuring 10 African artists in the British diaspora, handpicked by Charisse C herself, supported by Baltic Studio’s and Nando’s. The result is a 3-step project that is both curious and grounded.
The EP draws its inspiration from Southern African culture, particularly the concept of “Ubuntu,” and this is captured in the project’s collaborative nature and the title track. “Abantu Means People” is a chant that brings together the tribal with the poetic. Ubuntu philosophy as centred on the phrase “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu.” Directly translated it means “A person is a person because of other people,” which is often taken as “I am because we are.”
From there the project drifts into the subject of love with emotive and soulful 3-step tracks that are propelled by the harmony of multiple vocalists. This is particularly key for “Feel Alive,” a collaboration that features HARUNA, Kwamzy, Captain Lulaz, MVM, Sizwe, and Obe 380. The song speaks of discovering a peace that allows one to let go: “Wake me up as the sun comes up/Keep me up til the morning light/Waking up in paradise/Letting go ‘cos I feel alive.”
The sonic recipe of “Feel Alive” is mirrored on “Close,” but with a slightly elevated tempo. It exudes with desire and makes a case for the EP’s most brilliantly composed track.
“5-Ek’seni” which was Abantu Means People’s lead single, provides an emphatic exclamation point. The dance floor ready 3-step record mixes English, Zulu and Shona lyrics to tell an infectious story about the hedonistic pleasures of a ladies night out: “It’s 5 am in the morning, tiri mugomba (we are the bottom of the night), asifun’ukulala emakhaya (we don’t want to sleep at home).”
Already a great listen in isolation, Abantu Means People is a showcase of growth when placed alongside Charisse C’s debut EP Evergreen. There is a showcase of greater confidence in not only the soundscapes she explores but the singer’s belief in her own vocal strength. Abantu Means People celebrates collaboration, while bridging the gap between the continent and its diaspora, which a true showcase of Ubuntu.
House rating: 7.2/10
