South African multi-disciplinary artist Ange Madame steps boldly into the fall with her highly anticipated self-titled album ‘Ange Madame’, a striking reinvention of her alter ego Angel-Ho, whose experimental ventures previously found a home on Kode9’s record label Hyperdub. With her latest album, Ange Madame not only reshapes her musical identity, but offers a full-throttle reset – a calculated rupture with her past that positions her as a genre-defying force within the industry.
2024 marked a profound moment of transformation for Ange, following her award of South Africa’s prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Performance Art in 2023. ‘Ange Madame’ is a 16-track screeching fantasy that bursts forth from a cosmopolitan chrysalis, sitting between dissonant disco oddities and ballroom-infused grooves. A meteorite of influences in its purest form, colliding elements of deconstructed club, P-Funk’s sumptuous eccentricity and obscure R&B, all while orbiting in a realm where cultural boundaries blur and reinvention reigns supreme.
Ahead of the album’s release, we had the privilege of sitting down with Ange Madame to explore the creative forces behind this monumental work. Our conversation touched on her upbringing in South Africa, the duality of navigating cultural expectations and minority struggles, as well as her advocacy for mental health. We also delved into her unique multi-disciplinary approach and how the hidden gems of Cape Town continue to fuel her melodious fire. ‘Ange Madame’ is not just a record—it’s an immersive statement of self-actualisation and radical redefinition, a true reflection of an artist at the height of her refined potential.
Interview by Mathias Chaboteaux
"Ange Madame was a true form root. Angel-Ho was a child playing games. I am a grown human who needs to work, has responsibilities and refuses to make music that makes me feel desolate, stupid, and not grounded."
Who is Ange Madame? Please describe yourself in five words.
Confident, Kunt, Cinderella, Delusional, Genius.
Your musical approach is deeply connected to the most pressing political issues in South Africa. Can you share how your upbringing in Cape Town influenced your sound, and how you navigate these political themes in your day-to-day life? How do you incorporate them into your creative process, both sonically and conceptually?
My upbringing was rather interesting, I spent most of it with my Mum whilst my Dad was at sea. My mother and I would have dance cleaning parties and I would watch her sing all her favourite songs while longing for my Dad to come home.
I think we all have this longing for something to begin and end, I for one have a longing to continue my career to the best I can, unfortunately my mind was a kind of sabotage when I was in my early days with Hyperdub, I gave a lot of people my power when they never deserved it. I couldn’t even hear myself in the chaos.
Now looking back I see that these moments have granted me peace in the noise, in my current space and time. I channeled that darkness of longing to be a star into making music that I felt represented the star I saw in myself. People weren’t the focus, they became some sort of observers in my world, the unpaid artists entertains people for fun. God, how dystopian these times have been. And now I’m longing for questions that can lead to answers, so you find me at a cross roads while typing this response.
Your voice is your instrument, and through it, you transmit powerful messages. Can you tell us more about the importance of language as a tool for expression in your music? Is the vocabulary you use in your music the same as the one you employ in your everyday life, or do you shift between different modes of communication depending on the context?
I am extremely poetic, I speak within contexts and make them arbitrary by expressing myself, I’m extremely exaggerated and can be very soft at the same time. I am the epitome of a woman who has her feet in sand and head in the clouds, I live between fantasy and reality.
You’re challenging cultural norms and power dynamics, yet you are also embraced within the neo-pop space. How do you navigate the intersection of being both a minority voice and someone drawn to mainstream pop culture? How do you balance these dualities in your work, and how does the blend of subversion and accessibility inform your sound and artistic identity?
Wow, it’s like I don’t like to think about it but it’s kind of the truth, I’m a minority and the culture we live in truly hates minorities. That’s why I love 50 Cent, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. Money has power and I’m aware of its place in society it’s a currency that’s false to the air we breathe. When I see my work I create what I think is mainstream or the future of it.
You know… I had this conversation with someone recently. Mainstream music is running out of ideas, they’re all singing in key and making perfect melodies, one day the industry is going to say let’s all start singing out of key. I have been filling the knowledge system of singing out of key for the past decade. There’s so much to explore. And for the future of storytelling you think a story is perfect? None of our lives are being represented in mainstream music, everything feels out of touch!
Alongside Nkisi and Chino Amobi, you co-created NON, a platform that amplifies underrepresented talent outside the mainstream industry’s gaze. How do you view the evolution of NON, and what impact has it had on the global music scene, particularly in terms of pushing boundaries and reshaping the way we engage with the African underground and non-conventional sounds?
NON hasn’t been around for years, so I can’t say. But its impact has birthed many copy cats and sub-cultures – a bit like what we see in today’s underground.
"I am extremely poetic, I speak within contexts and make them arbitrary by expressing myself, I'm extremely exaggerated and can be very soft at the same time. I am the epitome of a woman who has her feet in sand and head in the clouds, I live between fantasy and reality."
Who are the hidden gems in Cape Town’s music scene that you think the world needs to hear? Which artists are you currently vibing with, and who are some of your favorites emerging from the South African electronic or experimental scene right now?
Definitely SnixxJones, their music is raw and indie, a side I enjoy of music a lot, also Gyre and LanceLightyear! I also enjoy BŪJIN she’s great!
How do you weave together all your different practices – from costume design and creative direction to vocals and production? Can you walk us through your process in creating this album? It feels like a celebration of classic disco orchestration with P-Funk textures. What were the key influences behind that sound, and how did you incorporate them into your own unique electronic aesthetic?
I wanted to make a jazz album and I felt drawn to this idea of singing these songs in my old age. I was working in time back to front. I wanted to be a diva sipping whiskey, eating a burnt cheese stick at a smokey jazz club performing for the mafia and men and woman that just got off from work on a Friday night and everyone wants to hear their stories in my music. The influence was life and obviously a couple of icons and legends but it was visualising me in an echo chamber of minority greats that paved the way for my freedom of expression. That’s as honest as it gets.
How do you feel the transition has impacted your sound and artistic evolution? What was the significance of changing your artist name, and how does that shift reflect the transformation in your music and identity?
I feel like my evolution is more of a revolt. Every time I release new music I kill the old self. Ange Madame was a true form root. Angel-Ho was a child playing games. I am a grown human who needs to work, has responsibilities and refuses to make music that makes me feel desolate, stupid, and not grounded. I don’t want to fall into the sky. I want to build on the ground.
Quite a personal question now. How do you approach your gender transition on an emotional and psychological level? You’ve mentioned before that it’s not about “transforming” but about “assuming”—why is that distinction so important to you? I’ve also read in past interviews that medical reasons have played a role in your journey—what have been the most significant challenges you’ve faced along the way, and how do they shape your art and self-expression?
Well I can’t medically take hormones. I want people to assume that I am trans period and know that trans mess is being everything and then nothing at the same time, it balances in the wind and aerodynamics on the wing, it’s a transformation of being yourself and co existing with your surroundings, but I’m not here to change people. People change themselves and that’s kind of the whole point, people should have autonomy on their choices.
How important is mental health in navigating the pressures of the music industry? Do you have any personal rituals or practices that help you ground yourself before stepping on stage, to stay centered and connect with your audience?
Prayer.
What has been the most surprising or memorable reaction to your music and live shows? How does the audience respond to your performances – do you feel a special energy or connection when you’re on stage? Any behind-the-scenes moments you’d like to share that highlight the unique vibe of your live shows?
The audience will either gag or be partying! I remember holding this really long note and the Austrian audience were left stunned … they were frozen in time! Like Beyoncé said, “look around everybody on mute! Big Energy!”
‘Ange Madame’ is out now via Jacomina Records. Order a copy from Bandcamp.
TRACKLIST
1. Starlight
2. Queen of Queens
3. Loco Machine
4. Living Colour
5. Black Cat
6. Bubble Blue
7. Do You Ever
8. Mercy Me
9. Cried In Valentino
10. Mr. Freak
11. More Than a Woman
12. Galactic Love
13. Down With Your Love
14. Moonlight
15. Your Life
16. Hold Me Close [Bonus Track]
