Singer-songwriter Jesse Clegg recently returned with a new hit, Hurricane.
You were born Jesse Umpiyezwe Clegg. That middle name is quite a tongue-twister. What is the meaning behind the name?
Jesse Clegg: It’s a Zulu middle name given to me by my late dad, Johnny Clegg. Both my brother and daughter have Zulu middle names, a family tradition we have created. The name means “struggle of the nation” and it’s derived from the year I was born, 1988, when South Africa was going through a complicated political transition and no one knew what the outcome was going to be. The name ties me to South Africa, my birthplace, and the place that I came from. It’s also a reminder to me that life has its challenges, but there’s always hope.
What are your fondest childhood memories?
A lot of my childhood was spent on the road with my parents when my dad was touring in Europe and America. I fondly remember exploring France with my dad or going to parts of Africa that I’d never seen before as a young boy and listening to all the new sounds – experiencing the culture, the dance, and the cuisine of all these places at a young age. It gave me such a broad horizon of experience, which I didn’t really understand when I was young. It’s a very stimulating and inspiring way to grow up. It also showed me the power of music; to see music connect with people across language, cultural, and racial barriers. I got to see how music has the special power to bring people together. Also, watching my father perform and seeing how he carried himself – those were really beautiful times for me and my family and very informative for me in my career as a singer-songwriter and my own journey as an artist. I always go back to those memories – they bring me a lot of strength and motivation.
When did you realise that you can sing?
There was never an a-ha moment for me as a singer where I suddenly realised I could sing – music was so present in my household and so present in my life. I just had this sense that I’ve been immersed in it from a very young age, and I remember singing all the way through my childhood and just being surrounded by it. It was never a matter of whether I could sing, we were always singing. I got more serious and focused about how to sing when I started writing my own music and deciding what my music should sound like and what my artistic identity should be.
You play guitar and piano. Do you have a favourite?
Guitar was the first instrument that I learned in a serious way and the first instrument I started writing music on. My first two albums were written entirely on an acoustic guitar. There’s definitely a sense that guitar is my favourite and strongest instrument. I love piano even though I don’t consider myself to be a great pianist. Piano is useful for songwriting in studio because there are so many ways to use it in modern productions – it’s become a part of my musical toolkit.
What is your songwriting process?
There are so many ways to write a song; it’s difficult to define my process. I’ll come into the studio and build music – I’ll either play guitar or I’ll play with some beats or synth sounds, and then the music starts to suggest a melody or an emotional framework that the song wants to bring in. I’ve also done songs where I’ve written lyrics first and then come into the studio and built music around the lyrics.
You have collaborated with artists Shekinah, Walk The Moon, Msaki, Kentphonik, Autumn Rowe, and DJ Kent. How do you decide who to join forces with?
I feel great about all the collaborations – it’s an eclectic group of musicians in different genres. The consistent factor has been whether I like the person’s music – I enjoy joining forces with artists who make very different music to me. Working with an artist who creates in a different genre and space is so exciting, as it takes me out of my comfort zone and expands my horizons creatively.
Take us back to the experience of being the main support act for the likes of Joan Armatrading, Daughtry, and Imagine Dragons.
I’m a fan of all three artists and being able to tour with them and be in their process for a period of time was educational for me, especially the Imagine Dragons shows, because we were playing huge stadiums around South Africa. The crowd was receptive to my set, and the band was respectful to me and my music – a total highlight and a thrill.
Do you ever get starstruck?
Not usually, but I get intimidated if I’m meeting or working with an artist whose music has influenced me over the years or someone whose art I really love and have a deep connection with. It’s important not to be too intimidated because you also want to meet each other as equals.
Your track Hurricane is beautiful and poignant. Tell us more about the song and its inspiration.
I wrote the song in Los Angeles in 2023. It’s a very personal song to me. I wrote it in a dark moment in my life. It’s about overcoming adversity and about the fact that no matter what you’re going through, you always have a choice, and you can trust yourself to make that choice. It’s an exciting song for me because of the gospel influence and choir, which is a first for me.
Text | Heléne Ramackers
Photography | André Badenhorst
For more information, go to jesseclegg.com.
