Interview with a vamp: Lindiwe Suttle talks to CTG about being the face of Woolworths Beauty 2011

21 Apr 2011, Posted by Cape Town Girl in BFFs, CTG recommends, Celebrity, beauty, beauty products, fashion, interviews, music, music video, shopping, south africa, 1 Comments

Guys I had the pleasure of chatting to the fabulous Lindiwe Suttle, who’s single ‘Man Made Moon’ is on my iPod between Lady Gaga’s Judas and Willow Smith’s 21st Century Girl. Lindiwe is the face of Woolworth’s latest Beauty campaign, part of the Woolworths Winter “Come Together” campaign. Lindiwe is an amazing lady. She’s worked as a stylist to Beyonce and Ciara, and as a buyer for brands such as DKNY and Kenneth Cole. You can totally see this coming through in the fashion film she made for her first single Man Made Moon (click here to watch it – its awesome) – it’s being released next month so listen out for it on air. Massive respect to this entrepreneurial diva, who clearly works extremely hard at creating her destiny.

1) Hey Lindiwe, CTG here. You look gorgeous and elegant in the new Woolies beauty campaign. Are you happy with the way it turned out?
I am so pleased. This is my first beauty campaign and it is such an honour to be associated with such an iconic brand like Woolworths. I feel the campaign is a celebration of the various races we have in SA.

2)The ‘Come Together’ theme for Winter is friendly and fun and stylish. I love it and the song too. Are you a Beatles fan? What’s your favourite song of theirs?
All artists have to love the Beatles. If you read about their work ethic when they started out, you can only respect how hard they worked to achieve their larger than life appeal and status. Their melodies are genius and my favourite  song has to be ‘Hey Jude’.

3)Your video for ‘Man Made Moon’ featured loads of local fashion and jewellery designers and some seriously fierce makeup looks. Am I right in saying that fashion and beauty seem to be as much a creative outlet for you as music?
Just to confirm, this was a ‘fashion film’, rather than a music video. It was released as part of my single Man Made Moon, the fashion film showcases the talented local designers I used and some behind-the-scenes footage of the stills photo shoot I did.

A still from Man Made Moon - so deliciously fashion forward - I love it!

4)I am a huge fan of both the Sisley and Benefit brands at Woolworths. What’s your pick of the Woolworths beauty spread? Any products you can’t live without?
I love the Woolworths Private Label range. Their long lasting lipsticks and nail polish colors are my favourite.

5) What’s your beauty quick-fix after a big night out or a long day on set / in studio?
My mom always knows best and always said, even after a big night on the town, always wash your face before you go to bed, never fall asleep with makeup on and also use extra moisturizer to allow your skin breathe and not dehydrate.

6) I believe beauty is an inherent part of being a woman. What, in your opinion, makes a woman beautiful?
I know you hear it all the time but it’s all about inner beauty, a genuine smile also goes a long way. While I was shooting the Woolworths campaign, I remained positive thoughout the day and  I think this positive spirit comes out in my eyes especially in the campaign shot.

7) Which artists inspire you? Musically and in terms of beauty and fashion, and why?
Lyrically, Bjork, Tori Amos, Sia and Lady Gaga are my favourite female songwriters. Musically, I love Radiohead, I respect the band and I think they understand the importance of sound and how to take their fans to a different world.

Thank you Lindiwe. You look stunning love! Listen out for Man Made Moon – it’s gonna be everywhere soon – and look out for Lindiwe in Woolworths stores across the country. So lovely!

Click here to visit Woolworths online.

Click here to follow Lindiwe on twitter.

Click here to follow WoolWorthsSA on twitter.

10 things with Durban Central

03 Mar 2011, Posted by Cape Town Girl in CTG recommends, bloggers, interviews, south africa, 1 Comments

Was recently interviewed by a blog I very much enjoy reading, Durban Central. Check it out here.

CTG exclusive: we talk blogging & Birkin Bags with Kim & Khloe Kardashian

11 Feb 2011, Posted by Cape Town Girl in BFFs, CTG, CTG in the Media, CTG recommends, Celebrity, bloggers, cape town, fashion, interviews, lifestyle, south africa, videoblogs, videos, weblebrity, 4 Comments

So back in December Brutal Fruit brought Kim & Khloe Kardashian to South Africa to launch their new flavour, the deliciously delightful Cheeky Cranberry (click here for CTG’s coverage of the launch party), and we were thrilled to be invited to come and chat to the two entrepreneurs. Kim & Khloe were great fun, and we chatted about all sorts of things, including blogging (they both use Y-Frog for images), one-shoulder dresses (Kim & CTG are both big fans it seems), Birkin Bags (Khloe had just got a gorgeous purple one from Lamar) and this hilarious Ninja-turtle-themed Kardashian family Christmas photo I dug up:

We’ve finally got our act together and are thrilled to be able to show you the interview. With much further ado, here’s the tape. Like a pro, CTG manages to mess up within the first 5 seconds of filming. Anyway, enjoy!

Special thanks to Shaun Blomkamp for filming and editing.

Interview with Bacardi’s new Ambassador Kevin

01 Dec 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in advertising, cape town, hilarious, interviews, lifestyle, man of the week, videoblogs, videos, 1 Comments

So a few weeks back we sat down with Kevin, who’s just been appointed the new Bacardi ambassador. He made us some cocktails, which I will post a bit later in the week. We chatted a bit about how he’s come to be the Bacardi Ambassador, what he likes to do for fun, what kind of party personality he is, etc. We even talk about his mom. The sound is not great on this (we are working on it), but Kevin is. We think Kevin is wonderful!

Kevin has some mad flaring skills, which he kindly demonstrated for us too. Catch him out and about this summer at clubs and parties around Cape Town – he’ll be doing his thing.

interview with a girl who likes to game

27 Oct 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in cape town, gaming, girl stuff, interviews, lifestyle, technology, 8 Comments

So I got a bit of flack from the girl gaming community yesterday for posting some softer, chick-friendly games like Wario Ware. After a brief parley on twitter we accepted that some girls like first-person blow-up-your-face shooter games, and other girls, like me, like fun games with cute characters. It’s all about personal taste. Anyway I asked Jaime Danielle, a first-person shooter girl, to tell me a bit about herself, to give you a glimpse of the other kind of girl gamer.

1. Hey Jaime. So you’re a gamer. And a girl. Most people think that’s quite wild. Do you agree that you’re an exceptional not a rule?
Definitely an exception to the rule but I’m not the only one out there. There is a breed of girl who hate pink, like extreme sports and getting dirty.. and being close to their man in a competitive playful way.


2. Do you have girlfriends who also game? Do you guys get together at one of your houses in your underwear and have pillow fights and play video games together? Or do you play with guys too?

I usually play with my guy friends, just cause I tend to spend more time with them anyway. I did live in a house with 8 girls once though; think pj-parties, Ben and Jerry’s and pillow fights, but then usually i’d just go to my room and play with myself.. um.. by myself,  Age of Empires. On my laptop.

3. What’s your favourite game at the moment, and why? What game did you last play that you absolutely hated, and why?
The game i’ve been playing most is Skate. It’s completely pressure sensitive and so has taken me quite a while to get all the movements down. I’m not a skater but this is most definitely the next best thing! Very technical and it feels to good when you successfully pull a move and land it clean. I usually give games the benefit of the doubt but one game that I really didn’t enjoy < also because it sucked the life out of my ex (and our relationship)> The latest Fight Night. Really amazing graphics but I found it incredibly boring watching one sweaty guy pummel another sweaty guy over and over and over…. Other games I dig include Halo, Mirror’s Edge, Prototype, Bioshock and Gears of War.

4. What would you say to girls who have issues with their boyfriends always playing games? Coz for some girls it’s a reeeeeeal problem.
I grew up with brothers and always had games around me; I’m the proud owner of an original Atari which was passed down from my brother AND it still worked the last time I tried it! Anyway.. I adopted the “if you cant beat em, join em” motto. In my opinion gaming is an escape for people. If its a couple of hours a day/week then look at is as stress-relief, a way to escape the daily grind and live in a fantasy world where you’re in complete control.. If its more than a couple of hours then you gotta ask yourself what are they escaping from. Believe me I know enough guys that if one of their girlfriends asked them to teach them how to play or to have a turn they would be uber impressed and turned on! Boys will play games. Fact. And if us girls got grumpy about the amount of time they spent gaming then it would only make them want to delve deeper into their fantasy.. girls, put on some sexy lingerie and go sit and watch him play. Just be patient. Chances are he wont keep playing for long. And if he does then he doesn’t deserve you.

5. What else are you into besides games?
I go running on the mountain a lot and I like to take pictures. And I destroy all my weekly healthy living by partying hard on the weekends.

BC = Brute Chieftain in Halo world.

And now you know! Thanks for giving us a glimpse into the world of a girl who likes to game, Jaime. You can follow Jaime on twitter here.

Do you want to hear a joke? Coz we got a goodie…

27 Oct 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in CTG, CTG for GQ, CTG in the Media, bloggers, hilarious, interviews, magazines, weblebrity, 6 Comments

CTG editor’s WILD sense of humour can be sampled in the Details | Jokes section of the November GQ. It’s in stores as of today. Or just keep scrolling.

And?? Do you like the joke? Is it funny?? So much pressure!

Thanks GQ. We like you guys. You can come braai at our place sometime. Are you guys following GQdotcoza on twitter yet?

Loerie Awards interview special: “My sisters got hold of me.”

05 Oct 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in BFFs, CTG, Parties, advertising, cape town, girl stuff, hilarious, interviews, weblebrity, 0 Comments

So this weekend was dominated by The Loerie Awards. The Loerie Awards is a massive advertising festival, where creatives come together to share hangover remedies great work and be inspired by the great work their peers have produced. It is a time for throwing your name networking, for  breaking your previous year’s tequila record sipping wine sedately and for crippling yourself by wearing impossible heels and walking all over town 2 nights in a row dancing til the sun comes up. Anyway it’s a lot of fun, and it’s even more fun with the iFourn (what we at CTG have taken to calling the iPhone 4), as much of it makes for good video. Here is an interview with Annleigh & Dil, 2 junior ad execs, talking about how they found their first Loerie Awards night and how Dil decided on her dress.

Hilarious Daily Show parody on race relations in SA: The Amazing Racist

20 Jul 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in Celebrity, hilarious, interviews, non-tourist attractions, south africa, tv, 2 Comments

“I couldn’t wait to hit the streets of Johannesburg and witness my first real race riots!”

Love you Jon Stewart. Enjoy!

Interview with Black Porcelain

09 Apr 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in blogs, cape town, interviews, lifestyle, music, south africa, 2 Comments

Have you heard of Black Porcelain? This track got me to notice her. So I tracked down her management and got an interview with her before she exploded all over the radio.

Black Porcelain hey? Now that’s a name. Is there a reason behind it?

When I was 17 I was full of emotion and got into writing poetry (who didn’t?). I came up with a ‘gem’ called Black Porcelain and I like the name so much I kept it. The poem was about people who are often overlooked and undervalued, when they are just as precious as the ‘celebrated’. Since then the name has come to mean a lot for me as an artist. I love using contrast and contradiction and I feel like the name somehow signifies that.

You used to work in radio. What made you pursue your dream of music full-time?

I love radio, but I’m more passionate about music. Radio ended up taking so much of my time, that it has taken me almost a year and a half to get halfway through recording my album. I just want to spend my time creating music and performing it.

Are you glad you did? Or are things still quite tough?

At first I was kind of nervous, because I had been doing radio for 3 and a half years. It only took a day for me to realise how blessed I am to REALLY do what I love everyday. Is it tough? Uhmm… Yeah! So next time you hear of a gig or see a CD for sale, buy one. You could be buying me petrol or another pair of red stilettos lol. Its always hard when you start out, but I’m hoping things will get better soon. *hint uhmm does anyone know if Lady Gaga needs an opening act?*

Describe what kind of person would listen to Black Porcelain. What would they get out of your music?

A person who has an eclectic taste in music will like my music. My influences range from Mos Def to Stimela. I do like to describe the music as pop for the thinking woman. I deal with some real issues (poverty, war, HIV), but I can also appreciate wanting to put on bright lipstick and wearing ‘fuck me’ shoes (can I say that?). I’m just getting into ‘girl’ stuff, so I wanna write a song about lipstick and how sometimes that stuff actually cheers you up. I like music about real stuff ;)

Where does Black Porcelain find her inspiration?

I love people and they are my inspiration. I listen to what people say and put it to a melody. I’ve had a few scrapes on this journey and those make for interesting lyrics too.

Describe your artistic process. I’m a writer, so I make a lot of notes and do a lot of rewrites. Do you do a similar thing? How do you prepare to go into studio?

I usually have a melody that stalks me for a while. I record it on my phone and then work out a song structure. Lyrics are the easiest part for me, because its like having a conversation. I work on the song with my producer before we go to studio. I pay for everything, so I make sure everything is perfect before I go into studio. Dis duurbaar (sp?)

You were born in Soweto, but now you live in Cape Town. Where’s your favourite place to be in SA, and why?

Soweto is my favourite place to be because I never feel lost or out of place. Don’t get me wrong, Cape Town is beautiful, it is inspiring and I love it here. But there is a certain peace I get when I am back home. There is so much love, beauty, potential and tragedy in Soweto. Its the reason why I write the way I do. I know both sides of the coin.

What is Black Porcelain listening to at the moment?

I’m actually listening to Lady Gaga (addicted to a song called ‘Speechless’) and Alicia Keys (‘Love is my disease’ is on repeat). I will not be at peace until Kanye West puts out another album though.

Let’s get personal. Do any of your tracks tell your life story? Some artists deliberately draw a line between them and their work… are you that kind of artist?

Most of the songs I write are about me in some way. I couldn’t write about stuff I don’t know or understand. There is a song called ‘Howcome’ on the album and I ask ‘howcome Melodies die and magic lives’. Melody is my cousin who died of AIDS. Magic (Johnson) lives because he isn’t a young mother of 3 in Soweto. I write what I live.

Describe a typical day in the life of Black Porcelain.

I’ve just gotten into running, so it starts with a 06:30 run or climb (Lions Head). After breakfast and shower its usually 4 hrs of piano practise, voice practise and songwriting. Afternoons are reserved for meetings with my management. After supper I work on the live show. After doing some gigs last year I realised that there was so much more I could do with the live aspect of my music. I’m ‘writing’ a new live show and seeing how we can adapt it for different venues etc. This is a very exciting time for me.

Lastly, if your building caught fire and you had to evacuate, name the 5 things you absolutely would not leave without.

My best friend/manager (we live together), my laptop (all my music is on there), my new leopard print shoes (birthday gift), my keyboard (wrote all my songs on it) and my phone (to let my family know I’m alive).

You guys can check out Black Porcelain’s blog here, and you can follow her on twitter here so you can watch as her album progresses. Give it up for this impressive CT Gal. Her single called “Are You Listening” is about to be playlisted on radio stations all across the country. It’s a saucy song about infidelity gone wrong. When she’s big don’t say I didn’t tell ya.

‘If you put a face on a strawberry, that’s what gets me turned on.’

25 Mar 2010, Posted by Cape Town Girl in Celebrity, fashion, interviews, music, tv, 0 Comments

It sounds silly, but it does seem to make sense within the context of this interview with Katy Perry, conducted by Nylon while they shot her for their cover. I like Katy for the same reason I like Lady Gaga – she writes her own music, she comes up with her whole style, she sings live, she’s smart and outspoken and her look is gorgeous. A ‘conceptual pop artist’, if you will. Plus I do love an all-rounder!