“It was amazing being part of this collective voice but I had my own voice that I think for a while was dying to have its day,” explains PURE in an honest conversation about her decision to pursue a solo career. This has seen the former front-woman of Fruit & Veggies, and later The Pranks, do a 180 degree turn, both sonically and personally. “There’s always issues [in bands] and I was tired of that. In my life I was also approaching this massive shift. I stopped drinking. My daughter was the main beacon of light for this shift that happened. When I was fell pregnant it was a chaotic time. I was a mess. I was still in Fruit & Veggies to sum things up.”
The shift that motherhood had catalysed led her to return to herself and to a type of simplicity that isn’t present in bands. “Soul, neo-soul and the voice prominent music was my first love, before I even got into the punk scene in Durban. I had this weird a cappella thing I used to do with my friends. I think in a sense it’s coming full circle of that. It’s so important because for a long time I’ve been pulled away from myself. Now it’s PURE. Now it’s time to focus on myself.”
Inspired by a series of events that involved over consumption of drugs and alcohol, and culminated in a painful weekend spent in a tent at a festival dealing with the repercussions leading to an intense period of self-reflection, “Treasure”, the follow-up single to her debut “No Secrets”, explores themes of the self and how we so often neglect the world within oneself, trying to fill the void inside with worldly pleasures rather than through deep work from within. “The idea is to transcend into this glorious and magnificent being, rising high above and taking pride in the scars and pain that have brought you to this place. Projecting a future of hopefulness and powerful transformations through embracing the light as well as the dark in one’s own path.”
The music video, co-directed by PURE alongside Bastien Lienardy, echoes this interplay between the light and dark parts of the self. A visual representation of a dream she had, the video shows the interplay between these two aspects of the self. “In the video you can see a little bit of friction, back and forth battles and it kind of represents how sometimes we try to fight that dark side but in all fairness it’s very much part of who we are. And the more we try and fight it, the more we give it power.”
Having found her path this year, PURE is ready to forge ahead and start her journey as a solo artists. “I have a lot of plans for 2018. I feel like 2017 was a lot about getting into the rhythm of being a mom, juggling job, juggling career, trying to make time for this, trying to make time for that, and now I’ve found that balance. I really want to just spread my wings in 2018.”
