"I think it would be a little bit daft to think that I'm 'an original'," humbly laughs Eska from the Mercury Prize red carpet - while all you have to do is give 'Shades Of Blue' or 'Rock Of Ages' a spin on Youtube to know that's not the case. "No one's original! I think we might have original tools at our disposal and it would be nice to say things that have been done before in new ways - but I think it's more about the authenticity, the way in which people are able to create music."
Watch our interview with Eska above
It was a long road for Eska Mtungwazi to find herself decked out in a resplendent robe on the Mercury Prize red carpet, being celebrated for her stunning self-titled debut. She's spent decades writing and recording for and with other artists, but now, she's truly found herself.
"In me trying to find my authentic self, then hopefully I'm trying to find that in the music," she continues. "There has only been one of me, and there's a unique signature about who I am and my sound. But there's a lot of borrowing and that's how we learn. That's a good thing on our journey to finding authenticity."
This, she admits, is why the album is self-titled - she's truly captured the essence of what it is to be Eska.
"I'm not a newcomer on the block, as ironies go," she admits. "In many ways I'm being recognised as a new artist. Not as an artist but as a musician, a side-player and a songwriter there's a 15 year back catalogue of 200 titles that have been released. I've been putting out an awful lot of music and have been involved in collaborating for many years. I've finally arrived at the point on this record where I can finally put my name to something.
She adds: "If someone was to never meet me but was to listen to this record, then I feel that they will genuinely have something to listen to that is about me. They can have at least a musical dialogue with me, even when I'm gone."
Watch above as Eska discusses music, fashion, Paris and where she goes from here.
Eska's upcoming tour dates are below. For tickets and more information, visit here.
Eska will play:
Thu 26 Nov 2015 The Stables Milton Keynes, UK
Fri 27 Nov 2015 Islington Assembly Hall London, UK
Sat 28 Nov 2015 Norwich Arts Centre Norwich, UK
Sat 23 Jan 2016 Turner Sims Concert Hall, University of Southampton, UK
Thu 28 Jan 2016 BIRD Rotterdam, Netherlands Tickets
Fri 29 Jan 2016 Bitterzoet Amsterdam, Netherlands
