ACCLAIMED singer and student of music Tutu Puoane can’t wait to take the stage at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF).
Puoane made her name on the Cape music scene in the early 2000s after moving from her native Pretoria.
After discovering her love of performing in Johannesburg, she decided to study jazz vocals at the South African College of Music at the University of Cape Town in 1998.
Her talent landed the lead vocals with renowned local Afro-Latino band Tucan Tucan and stormed the CTIJF stage in 1999.
Puoane’s love of the jazz art form led her to forge her own path and seek new horizons in Europe, moving to the Netherlands in 2002 to study at the prestigious Royal Conservatory of The Hague.
She explained: “After that year, I settled in Belgium and have been working and living in the EU since then.
“I was a singer from birth, so the motivation to be a professional singer wasn’t even necessary because I was born a singer, and I knew this since I was a child.
“So, my entire life choices have been towards making this happen. Pretorians are well known for their love of Jazz, so this music was around me from birth.”
She shared her excitement not just to perform but to watch the live talents take the stage.
“I’m super excited to be back in Cape Town and especially at Cape Town Jazz Fest. I can’t wait to watch all the other exciting acts.
“This will be my third time playing at the festival. I performed at the very first Cape Town fest when it was still The North Sea Jazz Fest, with the original Frank Paco’s band Tucan-Tucan way back in 1999, I think.
“Then I played in 2008 with my European band. I had to wait 18 years to be back at the festival.
“Playing my music at home (South Africa) is the biggest thrill. I’m so grateful to still be booked at these major festivals after all these years being away from home. It means a great deal to me, and I don’t take it for granted.”
Catch Tutu Puoane, Jimmy Nevis, Justin-Lee Schultz, and so much more this weekend at the jazz fest, and if you have not yet secured your tickets, then be sure to do so on Ticketmaster.
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