Dr Sibongile Khumalo

I had the most wonderful opprtunity to meet Sibongile Khumalo at Moshito, the annual music conference in Johannesburg. What a treasure - and what a humble woman. She talked about her father's influence that brought her into music, and how she spoke of him when she accepted her honourary doctorate from Rhodes.

I am the richer for having met her - and I am a total fan!

Living in the moment...

One of the most important things I learnt from Ina Wiegand, my coach, as I was preparing for my Licentiate, is to sing in the moment. Ina rightly says that if you don't think about what you're singing, it's so easy to have what she calles "fish eyes" - those dead-pan eyes that have no expression or feeling. It's what makes potentially good singers bad.

Ina reminded me that you have to think as you sing - that you can't play your mind forward or backward when you're busy with a song - otherwise it loses its meaning. As someone who is often guilty of living in the past or in the future, I'm so glad she told me this. We often say, "I can't wait for this or that," and then when we get to the end of our lives we regret that it all went so fast...

I like what John Demartini says: living in the past is linked to regret, living in the future is linked to fear, living in the present is a state of gratitude, which is love and light. Great advice!

I will strive to live in the present in all I do - including singing...

My Licentiate

Tomorrow I will be doing my licentiate in singing through Rockschool...

It's been amazing fun, it's been incredibly hard work. I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a great big precipice, overlooking all the treasures of the earth - kinda like God's Window, that awesomely beautiful spot in Mpumalanga where you can see for miles and miles.

Most of the people I work with, from my Mom to my colleague Ina Wiegand to my business partner Corinne Farber believe that I'll do a great job tomorrow. I just wanna go have some fun! Yeah, I guess I'm a little nervous and I really want to pass, but as Ina said to me, whatever the outcome, I cannot lose because I have learnt so much. She's right. In the last 4 months that we've been working together, sometimes three times a week (what a schlep to Pretoria!), I really have grown as an artist and a performer.

Of course, Cor is a huge fan. We've had so much fun doing The Purr Factory together, and I'm thrilled to be performing two songs tomorrow from my own musical. Narcissus, thy name be Rob!

Ah, my Mom! I love my Mom! I recently tried looking for a day job again so I changed my second cell number's message to a bland corporate message. My Mom phoned me to leave a message and said it sounded so sad, like I was unhappy... I have subsequently changed it back to something far more exciting and musical. I'm now doing music full-time. I have never been poorer. I have never been happier.

As Jayson, a colleague of mine at Soul Candi said, we do not choose music, it chooses us. I'm so glad music chose me. It is my life's work, my undying eternal purpose.

Musica, grata Deo.

Moira Schäfer

Just finished a high school music reunion with my music teacher and some guys from school. Hard to believe I finished 20 years ago this year!

My music teacher, the wonderful Moira Schäfer, reminded me of our final assembly at school (St. Stithians), where I sang The Holy City in the chapel in front of 500 boys. I didn't remember this (probably too nervous), but she said that after I had finished, the entire chapel stood up to give me a standing ovation, and what a victorious moment it had been for me (my school years can best be described as "difficult"). Tonight I sang The Holy City again, probably the first time since I sang it at my dad's funeral 11 years ago. What a beautiful piece of music.

Thank you Moira, for being such an inspiration all these years. I'm glad I followed in your footsteps and decided to do music as a career. I have never been happier.

Was also great to see all the old boys (never thought I'd say that...): Mike Aitken, Stuart Miller, Richard Kyte, Murray Masterson. We actually had a proper reunion a few months ago - this was just another catch-up. Thanks for organising, Mike! Great fun as always.

Musica, grata Deo.

SA's REALLY Got Talent

Went & did my audition today. I realised that talent has so little to do with it, since there wasn't a single untalented person there.

Went in and met the judge - Duncan Irvine - I know him, although he doesn't remember me (just as well). "Rob Rodell?" he said. "Sounds like a very well-known name in the industry." Great. I chose my brand name well, and my brand is growing. I love it.

My chances: I reckon about 5000:1. It's not that most people that I heard there didn't deserve to go through, it's just that there's so much clutter... How do you choose 1o people from 50,000 auditions? The judges can hardly remember 50 faces, let alone 50,000.

Still, I learned a lot: I want to have more presence when I perform for total strangers... I want to be unique and different more than wanting to blend in... That's what made Susan Boyle stand out.

Chalk it up to good experience, and move on.

Gigs, gigs, gigs...

Hmmm... Just read up about Chesney Hawkes and Nik Kershaw online. It's so easy to look at these guys and think "has-beens." I'm reminded of a poem I once read that spoke about rather being a wannabe or a has-been than a coulda-been, shoulda-been, woulda-been...

I know I need to get my music more out there, so I'll be striving to do a lot more gigs in the near future. I guess paying your dues is just something you gotta keep doing, although when you love it it should not feel like work. I have to admit: sometimes it does! Does that mean I just don't love the music enough? God I hope not! That would be tragic.

Does Beyonce still pay dues? Not sure - maybe, in her own way...

In a sweet spot...

Had a fantastic gig with Dawnay on Sat nite at the Blues Room in Sandton...

Thank you to the wonderful Addi Lang and photographer Anne Brest for the pics and the exposure I'm getting as an artist - Addi, you're the best. Mwah!