Queer electronic rave rapping Zulu princesses don’t grow on trees’: a digital ethnography of Toya Delazy’s curated persona as a South African popular musician on Instagram

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dc.contributor.advisorRontsch, Marcen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorFroneman, Willemienen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorFriday, Lindsayen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dept. of Music.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2023-03-06T10:57:24Z
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-18T07:16:26Z
dc.date.available2023-03-06T10:57:24Z
dc.date.available2023-05-18T07:16:26Z
dc.date.issued2023-03
dc.descriptionThesis (MMus)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH ABSTRACT: The necessity for an online presence for the popular musician has, with the emergence of social media platforms in the 21st century, become unavoidable. Musical output has become bolstered by the musician’s persona, which is present not only on the performing stage, but also on social media platforms. This thesis uses persona studies as the theoretical lens through which to view South African popular musician, Toya Delazy, and discusses how she presents and curates her intersectional persona on the social media platform, Instagram. Toya Delazy (Latoya Buthulezi) was born in KwaZulu-Natal in 1990. After studying jazz piano performance at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, she entered the popular music industry, releasing the hit singles ‘Pump it On’ and ‘Love is in the Air’ in the early 2010s. Moving to the United Kingdom in 2015, Delazy has since developed her own musical style, ‘Afrorave’, and released two albums independently. She brands herself online as a “queer Zulu princess” and an “independent Zulu queer queen”, thus promoting a persona which has its foundation in her intersectional identity. The research conducted in this thesis utilises a performative understanding of social constructs such as ethnicity, race, gender, and sexuality. Identity is therefore performed through visual and textual components in online spaces, in combination with the artist’s musical output. Digital objects (captions, hashtags and emojis) were collected and analysed using a digital ethnographic approach alongside the images and videos posted by Delazy on her Instagram profile (@toyadelazy). Delazy’s music and accompanying lyrics have been critically analysed. Crucial to this thesis is the distinction of persona eras in accordance with the release of Delazy’s studio albums: Due Drop Deluxe (which pre-dated her Instagram profile), Ascension (2014- 2017), Uncommodified (2017-2019) and Afrorave (2019-2022). The finding of the research conducted was that an intersectional identity within Toya Delazy’s online curated persona is articulated through the use of digital objects, image-based content and her music.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die ontstaan van sosiale media platforms in die 21ste eeu het tot gevolg dat die aanlyn- teenwoordigheid vir die populêre musikant onvermydelik geword het. Die musikant se persona, wat nie net op die uitvoerende verhoë teenwoordig is nie, maar ook op sosiale media platforms, het musikale uitsette van die musikant versterk. Hierdie tesis gebruik persona- studies as die teoretiese lens waardeur die Suid-Afrikaanse populêre musikant, Toya Delazy, beskou en nagevors word, en bespreek hoe sy haar interseksionele persona op die sosiale media platform, Instagram, uitbeeld en kurateer. Toya Delazy (Latoya Buthulezi) is in 1990 in KwaZulu-Natal gebore. Nadat sy jazz klavieruitvoering aan die Universiteit van KwaZulu-Natal gestudeer het, het sy die populêre musiek bedryf betree en die treffer-enkelsnitte ‘Pump it On’ en ‘Love is in the Air’ in die vroeë 2010’s vrygestel. Delazy, wat in 2015 na die Verenigde Koninkryk verhuis het, het sedertdien haar eie musiekstyl, ‘Afrorave’, ontwikkel en twee albums onafhanklik vrygestel. Sy identifiseer aanlyn as ’n "queer Zulu-princess" en ’n "independent Zulu queer queen", en bevorder sodoende ’n persona wat in haar interseksionele identiteit gegrond is. Die navorsing wat in hierdie tesis gedoen word, maak gebruik van ’n performatiewe begrip van sosiale konstrukte soos etnisiteit, ras, geslag en seksualiteit. Identiteit word dus deur visuele en tekstuele komponente in aanlynruimtes, in kombinasie met die kunstenaar se musikale uitsette, uitgevoer. Digitale voorwerpe (onderskrifte, hutsmerke en emoji's) is deur middel van ’n digitale etnografiese benadering versamel en ontleed wat gepaardgaan met die beelde en video's wat Delazy op haar Instagram-profiel (@toyadelazy) geplaas het. Delazy se musiek en gepaardgaande lirieke is krities ontleed. ’n Belangrike aspek vir hierdie tesis is die betekenis van persona-tydperke in ooreenstemming met die vrystelling van Delazy se ateljee- albums: Due Drop Deluxe (wat alreeds voor haar Instagram-profiel bestaan het), Ascension (2014-2017), Uncommodified (2017-2019) en Afrorave (2019-2022). Die bevindinge van hierdie navorsing is dat ’n interseksionele identiteit binne Toya Delazy se aanlyn saamgestelde persona deur die gebruik van digitale voorwerpe, beeld-gebaseerde inhoud en haar musiek verwoord word.af_ZA
dc.description.versionMastersen_ZA
dc.format.extentxi, 182 pages : illustrations (some color)en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/127330
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshToya Delazy (Latoya Buthulezi)en_ZA
dc.subject.lcshSocial media en_ZA
dc.subject.lcshPopular music -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshDigital mediaen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshPerformative (Philosophy)en_ZA
dc.subject.lcshDigital Object Identifiersen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshEthnicityen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshDigital ethnographyen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshPopular musician -- South Africanen_ZA
dc.subject.nameUCTDen_ZA
dc.titleQueer electronic rave rapping Zulu princesses don’t grow on trees’: a digital ethnography of Toya Delazy’s curated persona as a South African popular musician on Instagramen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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