Exclusive: Catching Up With Black Is King Actress, TV Host & Singer Nandi Madida
As we continue to celebrate Black History Month and with the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards set to air on March 14, BlackFilmandTV.com caught up with South African singer, actress, model and television host Nandi Madida, who appears in Beyonce’s directed and critically acclaimed visual and musical film Black is King.
Nominated for Best Music Film, Madida plays the role of Nala, the same role Beyonce played in the Jon Favreau computer-animated remake of Disney's animated 1994 film of the same name.
Madida has spent over 15 years entertaining folks in one form or another. Whether it was being a TV host, a model, singing songs or a journalist covering other projects, there’s no shortage to the skill sets she posses. I happened to meet her while we were in LA years ago covering a junket for a film and didn’t know how extraordinary she is. As the world watched Black is King be released on Disney+ last July, I was elated when Madida appeared in the film and had one of the biggest roles. Months later, she would drop a new single, ‘Organic,’ her first since 2014's 'In My Skin'.
At a time when life is short and everyone has had to deal with the pandemic and re-examine and re-adjust their lives, Madida is taking full advantage of what she does best and giving the world a taste of her talent.
Having known you for some time, take me back and let me how exciting it was to be included in Black Is King?
Nandi Madida: I am an actress as well, but I did some journalism work for Viacom, co-hosting the BET entertainment magazine show BET A-List. It's incredible that Beyonce was fond of me, what I stand for, and believed in me to being a part of the project as well as the rest of the cast. It's particularly special because she played the role of Nala in the recent film. So for her to cast me in this role, and to know that I could give her some gravitas and play such a meaningful character that she portrayed so well, means the world to me. You have to understand. I'm an 80s kid. I come from the era of Michael Jackson, Prince, and Whitney Houston, where you had stars who were just out of this world, and were almost unreal. She's the last stand of that time, that generation where they would perform, and it was out of this world.
To be able to meet someone like that, because unfortunately the ones I mentioned have passed on and were a lot older, but to be able to work with someone of that caliber, who is a legend, an icon, an incredible talent of our time, and to say that I got to work with her will forever be surreal. The cherry on top is that she’s a human being who is larger than life, and just the sweetest person; someone who could live next door.
That just makes it so much more beautiful. I'm talking about hours of working with someone. It’s different. Because it's hard to hide anything stressful. You have to work hard. I can tell you she’s by far the hardest working person I've ever worked with ever. That's what made this project even more special. It was a project that was paramount for our story, as African Diaspora connecting us to give us so seamlessly and there was so much depth to it. There's so many different elements to it as well, and symbolism. That's important.
You’re an actress, model and singer, among other things. Which do you prefer to do more?
Nandi Madida: The incredible thing about being an artist and truly an artist is that you can express your way in any way you want. All Access Mzansi just came from me being really young and doing it all. At 15 years old, I was a TV host. So I started out being a TV host. At 16, I was in music for those who know me in Africa. For me, television was important and diversifying was interesting. We're all different in that way. Some people want to be specific about the arts, and that's incredible, as well, but I was fortunate. I think because I started so young, I got to explore my different talents. The great thing is that the work is seasonal. We just want to get into the acting and and dive into it. After doing any work like a series or whatever the case might be, you want to get out of that character, and that's your music and then be an athlete. I love the fact that this is the sense of escapism from each form of art and, and I find that really fun and refreshing. So I'm never bored.
With as many opportunities that you have had in different platforms, how has the pandemic affected you?
Nandi Madida: By nature, all of us human beings are social. We've just lost a huge sense of ourselves, all of us. From a social perspective, it’s been a strange thing for us to find ways for fun activity. I must say I've learned to love like everyone else. I'm so glad I stuck to my guns of being so diverse, in terms of surviving in this industry. It's given me an edge that, with being on social media, being an actress, being a musician, I've been fortunate enough to stay afloat and in a great way. I don't take that for granted. There's certain lessons that you are going to know from a business perspective or scope perspective and I'm just fortunate that's something I learned that any time you can diversify, it's incredible if you can do it. It really is important, but the end game as well. The sense of meeting people like me, meeting somebody as incredible as yourself, being able to talk to you, and the tangible aspects of being able to interact with other people, I feel somewhat lost. ’m a huge people's person and not being able to bond with other people has been something terribly strange. We’ve all had to tap into our deepest selves. I hope the world doesn't go back to how it was before because it wasn't great as well. We can find new ways of being better but obviously that's me being optimistic.
What are you catching up on?
Nandi Madida: Everything. I'm a streamer. I love it. I love streaming, as well as a lot of interviews. I’ve been doing a lot of acting classes, fitness, brushing up and all of that stuff, just to homeschool for the next projects that are coming. Watching incredible shows and interviews, it's been so fascinating to actually unwind and be able to have the time to reflect. As part of my studio, I've been recording and working. It's a great time, because once this is over, it's going to be intense once again. So I'm really enjoying this time.