Download Lindiwe's Biography - Lindiwe Suttle

LINDIWE SUTTLE
Kamikaze Art

BIOGRAPHY- updated July 2012
Kamikaze Art is the debut album by performance artist and singer-songwriter
Lindiwe Suttle. The album was produced by Ivan Georgiev in Berlin. Kamikaze
Art walks the line between avant-garde and mainstream with a balance of
up-tempo songs and ballads. Grammy-nominated Mastering Engineer Dave
Kutch who mastered the album in New York described the sound as “organic
electronic soul.”
Lindiwe sings about political corruption, being bullied in high school, her love
for fashion, the internal struggle between good and bad and social justice songs
of unity. “I called the album Kamikaze Art because I feel I have given all of
myself. Each song is deeply personal, open and honest,” explains Lindiwe.
When Lindiwe Suttle was a little girl, she listened to her parent’s Motown soul
hits by day and would go to her room to sing and dance to tunes by Michael
Jackson, Boy George and Cyndi Lauper when they were sleeping. In high school,
Lindiwe discovered writing lyrics as a way to express herself inspired by artists
like Tori Amos, Bjork and PJ Harvey; these artists helped shape the way Lindiwe
told her own stories. She would belt out her own songs and perform in front of
the mirror for hours. It’s no wonder this petite package of energy became the
talented singer-songwriter and consummate performer she is today. She lives up
to her Zulu name, Lindiwe, which means “the one we’ve been waiting for”.
It was not until completing an MBA in Entrepreneurship/Marketing and a
successful career in the fashion industry that Lindiwe decided to follow her
dream of becoming a performer. She was a fashion stylist to celebrities like,
Beyonce Knowles, Cynthia Nixon, and Ciara and worked with fashion houses like
DKNY and Kenneth Cole, which inspired her to become the fashion conscious
performer she is today.
In 2008, Lindiwe became the lead singer of the South African jazz/hip-hop
band, The Collective Imagination. This was indeed the genesis of Lindiwe’s
musical career. In late 2009, Lindiwe then launched her solo career that
generated a lot of media coverage. She started performing acoustic soul sets in
small clubs in Cape Town to intimate crowds.
Lindiwe’s shift to developing her own sound came when she was discovered by
German music legend, Marius Mueller-Westernhagen, after seeing her perform
in Cape Town. He told her, “You are very talented but I can tell you are not doing
the music you really want to do.” A year later, Marius introduced Lindiwe to
producer Ivan Georgiev in Berlin, Germany.

Lindiwe and Ivan formed a special bond and began bouncing music ideas back
and forth from Cape Town to Berlin to create a sound that blended her soulful
voice with the Berlin electronic sound. Lindiwe returned to Berlin in May 2011 to
begin writing and recording the album Kamikaze Art. The album was mastered
in New York at the Mastering Palace by Grammy nominated sound engineer
Dave Kutch who has mastered top artist releases such as The Roots, Alicia Keys,
John Legend, and Al Green.
On stage Lindiwe has a commanding presence and creates a unique stage
persona blending fashion and music to create live shows that are theatrical in
style. Lindiwe’s passion for musical theatre influences the dance choreography,
over-the-top styling, stage props and visuals in her live performances. As she
aptly puts it, “I sing for the eyes and the ears and want to take my audience to a
magical musical world.”

Artist & Album Reviews
“On a diva scale from zero to Grace Jones, Lindiwe is bat-sh*t crazy. Her album
Kamikaze Art album received 3 and a half stars out of 4.”
Rolling Stone Magazine - South Africa
“Lindiwe started out in the fashion industry and had her big break styling artists
like Beyoncé and Ciara. But with a voice and style like hers, it can’t be argued
that this lady belongs to be in the spotlight herself.”
Vogue - Italy
“With her first single Man Made Moon, which she premiered at the World Cup
concert in Cape Town, she now wants to conquer the world with her wonderfully
gentle soul voice, catchy songs and keen sense of style.”
Elle - Germany
“A new breed of female recording star has arrived. Lindiwe Suttle is Afropolitan,
independent and blurs the genres.”
City Press newspaper- South Africa
“Lindiwe has a powerful voice with a soft quality added to it. Watch out for her
as she climbs the ladder in the SA music industry.”
Cosmopolitan - South Africa
“Lindiwe Suttle dazzles South Africans and tourists at the FIFA Welcome to the
World concert at the Grand Parade Fan Fest.”
Cape Times newspaper - South Africa
“Let us be the first to tell you that Lindiwe can sing. From belting out the big
notes to crooning the little ones, Suttle is the sugar sweet component to the
band, The Collective Imagination.”
GQ Magazine - South Africa

• Vogue magazine, Italy
• Monocle, Global
• Elle magazine, Germany
• Freundin, Germany
• Arise magazine, Global
• Elle magazine, South Africa
• Marie Claire, South Africa
• In Style, South Africa
• Glamour, South Africa
• Cosmopolitan, South Africa
• GQ, South Africa
PRESS COVERAGE
• Oprah, South Africa
• Real Simple, South Africa
• Seventeen, South Africa
• House & Leisure, South Africa
• Destiny Magazine COVER,
South Africa
• Voila Magazine COVER,
South Africa
• Balanced Life COVER, South Africa
• Cell C Magazine COVER,
South Africa
Awards & Accolades
• Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans doing extraordinary things - 2012
• Cosmo Magazine All Star - musicians that rocked SA music scene 2011
• Glamour Magazine’s Woman of the Year - Style Icon 2010
• SA Style Awards - Most Stylish Overall Winner 2010
• SA Style Awards - Most Stylish Musician 2010
• Glamour Magazine Style Blogger - “Style Stalker Blog” by Lindiwe

Brand Endorsements
• Face of Woolworths Beauty campaign - 2011
• Face of Frazer Parfum campaign - 2010
• Puma Creative Ambassador - designed sneakers & tracksuit top for Puma
• Tom Ford sunglasses & optical Ambassador - only SA Ambassador
Noteworthy Performances
• Cape Town International Jazz Fest – Cape Town 2012
• Ericsson Global Conference - Cape Town 2012
• BMW & MINI Global Conference - 30 concerts - Frankfurt, Germany 2011
• MINI Global executive Conference - 8 shows - Munich, Germany 2011
• In Style magazine - annual fashion show - Moscow, Russia 2011
• Nelson Mandela Legacy Gala Dinner - Cape Town 2011
• Design Indaba Official Concert - Cape Town 2011
• FIFA World Cup Welcome the World Concert - Cape Town 2010
• V&A Waterfront New Year’s Eve Bash - Cape Town 2010
• Tom Ford Launch - Johannesburg 2010
• Marie Claire – Prix d’ Excellence de la Mode Awards - Cape Town 2010

www.blackmajor.co.za
Sevi Spanoudi
sevi@blackmajor.co.za
+27 72 013 0788