The Come Up of Carter Najar: South Africa’s Next Promising Heir to the R&B Throne
Mzansi R&B has never looked so chic and unapologetic as Carter Najar has portrayed it in her come-up. Born Mischka Dhuloo, the South African R&B and afropop artist, having already proclaimed her arrival with her maiden single “Stay”, promises to not only be a transformative presence within the R&B sector but a trailblazing songbird with her sights firmly set on justifying her steady ascension with a fitting crowning moment as the country’s next heiress to the rhythm-and-blues throne.
Classifying the artistry of music as a medium of connection which has guided her through the times – from childhood and puberty right up to adulthood – Carter Najar was forthright about the importance of music. Emerging from a home of thoroughbred instrumentalists while growing from the multi-textured soil of Mzansi’s rich and poly-cultured musical pedigree, Najar traced her love for her music back to her familial and communal roots.
“I’m from a very musical background. A lot of people I’ve associated with as I have grown up have always been musically inclined and also had a great taste in music. I think that’s where a lot of my musical talent stems from. My grandfather and uncle both played instruments. So I always wondered where I got my talent from and I think it’s definitely from my upbringing and South African culture because it runs deep within the music. Especially coming up from around 2010, a period I feel our music was in its prime up until now with amapiano completely taking over,” she said.
The singer-songwriter started off the year with the release of her poignant single titled “Type”. The R&B single is a heartbreak song born from a period of emotional turmoil and the abject disappointment of failed romance. Encased in her sultry vocal performance, slow-tempo production leaning heavily on trad R&B sensibilities, and confessional songwriting, “Type” is the rhythmic catharsis of a woman coming to terms with the painful realisation of letting go and moving on from an emotional investment.
“What inspired “Type” is what I went through during a huge public breakup. I was still heartbroken by the ex that the song was about and I didn’t have any outlet to allow my creativity to flow. So, I decided to write a song to have my emotions speak for themselves and have people relate to it. After all, heartbreak is the most relatable emotion that everyone goes through,” Najar said.
Listen to “Type”:
Building on the steady momentum of the song’s popularity and the love from her fans, Carter – although shy with sharing her future plans – divulged that visuals for “Type” were very much in the works and promised that the project, once released, would live up to expectations.
“There are so many things in the works at the moment that I wish I could share but can’t right now. But what I can share for now is that I’m working on an amazing music video for “Type”. So I’m looking forward to that and portraying my creativity onscreen. It’s going to be really cool, fun, and girly, and I think a lot of South African girls will relate to it,” she said.
Sourcing her sensual aesthetic and the silky femininity of her craftsmanship from the likes of Jennifer Lopez and the Pussycat Dolls and acts such as Tyla and Ayra Starr, Carter has filled up the shape of her R&B artistry with the cosmopolitan scaffolding of the old and the new. Cherry-picking the best from the past and contemporary times, Najar has stitched together a hybrid persona that seeks to conjure up the seemingly lost appeal of It Girls from the early 2000s without letting go of the youthful and unbridled sass intrinsic of present-day musicians.
“I draw inspiration from Jennifer Lopez, the Pussycat Dolls and Nicole Scherzinger. Those are the Y2K figures whose old school sound I like since I was born in the nineties. I really wanna bring back that sound. I feel like music was so beautiful back then. More recent influences I’ve been looking at are people like Ayra Starr and Tyla,” Mischka said.
Originality and sincerity are some of the hallmarks the canary chalks up to success within the music business. Besides the importance of knowing how the current in-thing is popping and what’s hot in the game, staying true to one’s true self is a characteristic the singer coined as the one thing that helps one stay on top of the game in the industry.
“Staying on top of the game is something that’s daunting because things are always changing, and people get bored easily. What I think is important is keeping up with trends and being unique. I’ve noticed that people like someone unique and authentic in their nature. I’m not trying to be anyone but myself and I want that to be seen through my music, the way I write and how creative I am. I just want everyone to see the real me, and that’s one of the most vital things with music. I feel a lot of artists fail in the field when they try to be someone else and not who they are,” she said.
When questioned about the current state of affairs of the local R&B scene, Carter Najar lamented the quietness of the niche and the relative lack of creativity within the sect next to the creative boom as seen with amapiano. She shared her aspirations of expediting change and being the much-needed catalyst that would refurbish the genre in Mzansi.
“I feel like the R&B scene is so bland and quiet at the moment. I do understand that amapiano has taken over the world and has everyone in the chokehold, so nobody’s really going into R&B. And I feel like it’s such a beautiful genre that can speak of so many different aspects, and that’s why I really wanna go deeper into R&B.
“And I’d also like to change the game. Not that I’m tired of amapiano, but I want to bring something different,” she said.
Already toying with the cocktail of pop and amapiano, Carter expressed interest in diving into the house scene in the future.
“I would like to experiment with progressive house. I’m talking about the hopeful sound that you can hear in Zakes Bantwini’s “Osama”. Because at the moment, I’ve been busy with popiano and afro-popiano – things that people would like and very dancy music,” she said.