Full disclosure: I am mates
with Toya. One of the biggest perks
of working at DIVA is the incredible
women you get to meet and she is up
there among the most extraordinary
and open-hearted. A Zulu princess
and megastar in her native South
Africa, she’s done it all, from having
hit singles and winning awards to
being an X Factor judge and voicing
the first black Powerpuff Girl. In SA,
she was a household name at the
top of her game, and yet... she felt
stifled. She longed to be her authentic
creative self. She wanted to perform
music that represented pansexuality,
but when she did just that with tracks
like the absolute banger Forbidden
Fruit, she didn’t find the support she
craved. So, four years ago, Toya packed
up her Cape Town life and relocated
to London.
Far away from her homeland, she
finally found the breathing space she
needed to grow, both as an artist and
a person. “It was a place where I could
shed my old skin, feeling like I could
change, not feeling like someone’s
gonna comment constantly.” Her
bold move paid off and now she truly
seems to have hit her creative and
spiritual stride.
Today she’s buzzing about thenew music she’s been working on.
The vibe is afrorave, mixing influ-
ences from her Zulu heritage with
garage and bassline. “It feels like part
of where I’m from and my new home
coming together.” She plays me the
addictive Yes Honey, then cues up
Funani. “Like ‘punani’, but with an ‘f’,”
she says helpfully. As the beat kicks
in, Toya’s studio transforms into an
after-hours club and soon we’re both
dancing like we haven’t a care in the
world. “I’m in the spirit of the mo-
ment,” beams Toya. “Funani is about
embracing your diversity.”
From the age of seven, Toya knew
she was different. “I wasn’t like all the
other girls, but I wouldn’t dare say the
‘L’ word. Trippin’? You don’t say that
in Africa. I thought maybe I could pray
this shit away.” A convent school girl,
her first crush was Sister Francesca.
“She was nice. I liked her energy. I was
young – I can’t say I liked her tits!”
Toya’s efforts to express her sexuality
were met with negativity. “It made me
go, ‘God’s gonna hate me if I move in
this direction’. But I knew. I used to
call myself a boy and go to the guy’s
loo. Such a tomboy.” You get the sense
that all those years of repression
make embracing her queerness now
all the more life-affirming. “Being onearth and feeling like you’re not hid-
den is the most beautiful feeling ever.”
She treats me to a sneak preview
of another track, the deliciously
dreamy Found Da Boy. Toya’s blissful
voice croons, “Mama said, you gon’
find the boy / I never found the boy,
but I found the love”. “It is pretty
revealing. I haven’t had one like this
before, but it’s about time.” Her most
personal song yet, it’s deeply mov-
ing, but also super chilled and sexy.
“Like you’re on the beach somewhere
nice with your girl,” agrees Toya. Very
that. “So many emotions!” I exclaim,
enraptured. “I’m horny, I’m crying, I’m
loving it.” She laughs, “That’s the best
compliment I’ve ever had.”
As well as recording her own
material, Toya dabbles in producing,
working mainly with other female
artists. She’s all about championing
women. “If it wasn’t for other women
that empowered me, I don’t think I
would be here.” When she was 18, her
mother passed away suddenly in an
accident and it was the friends Toya
squatted with who got her through
her darkest days. “They were really
monumental for me.” Just two months
ago, she lost another important wom-
an in her life, her beloved grandmoth-
er. “It’s weird. I still don’t believe >>>>>>I^
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38 SEPTEMBER 2019COVER STORY | TOYA DELAZY