‘It’s okay to struggle’ — Ange Madame builds resilience on a journey of artistic innovation

Ange Madame has a unique style. Photo: Supplied

20 Dec 2024

The Cape Town-based performance artist has shifted their style as they continue to make unique art amid mental health struggles.

My high school art teacher was the sweetest. She was always the first to encourage me to keep drawing, even when my penguin looked like a duck. Yes, my art marks were as woeful as my drawings, but my self-belief was sky-high.

Mrs Scholes did her best to teach me about the intricacies of fine art, but the lesson that stuck was that art knows no right or wrong. True art is appreciated for the conviction of the artist and their message.

Ange Madame (they/them), formerly known as AngelHo, is the universe’s latest reminder to me of this lesson.

The Cape Town-based alternative pop artist’s Ange Madame project is the latest from the enigmatic multimedia practitioner who keeps turning heads. With many unaccustomed to their unconventional musical output, their greatest ally was their mind.

So a two-year struggle with auditory hallucinations was no easy challenge to overcome. Madame has come out the other side stronger in their sense of self.

“The biggest lesson I’ve learnt is that your mind is a muscle and you can train it. So it’s more like I’ve trained my brain to be quiet and to be in a state of peace and tranquillity,” Madame explained. “I’ve desensitised myself to a point where it’s more manageable and it doesn’t bother me day to day. I do still have triggers, like sensory overload, but it’s not severe.”

Huge strides indeed for the musician who has forged a unique sonic template on music software Ableton. The Standard Bank Young Artist for Performance Art 2023 has begun to dabble with jazz in this latest work. But, of course, in typical Madame fashion, they have done it their own way.

“(My music) will always sound experimental or interesting or influenced by a genre. And it will always be unique. It’s kind of like a gift. Yeah, like a weird curse, but a gift in a way,” they said.

Ange Madame and Sylvia Akach SB at Rooftop on Bree. (Photo: Supplied)

Ange Madame has a unique style. (Photo: Supplied)

Madame is also a prolific visual artist with specific eras, which are always clearly defined through deliberately chosen hues and silhouettes. These make each shift in mode distinguishable from the last, and from any work being produced by their peers.

“I don’t make a music video unless I fully see it in my brain. The music tells me. I play the music and I’m like, okay, this is what’s happening now. I plan every scene, every camera (angle), how the camera must move.”

But it is no secret that being an independent musician is a double-edged sword. One has creative licence, but no financial security. Madame is not afraid to speak about this.

“What is the government doing to support sustainable businesses (run by) young entrepreneurs?” they asked. “The (greatest) lesson is ... managing the finances in a better way and not giving in to the impulse to just be... nonchalant.”

Redirecting that impulsiveness towards a greater sense of self-love has given Madame the resilience to keep creating — with the spirit of their late grandmother guiding and protecting them.

“At such a time of struggle, I had to do things that were impulsively for me and only me. It was kind of like taking my power back, you know, not letting people determine my success or my worth or my ability to do things.”

Not many people can say that they have truly mastered their mind quite like Madame has. A battle with mental health and a world full of people telling them their penguin looks like a duck hasn’t stopped them from drawing more penguins — in their own image.

The lessons they have learnt are what inform their art and their unstoppable spirit.

“I want to show that it’s okay to struggle and that our battles don’t define us. We can find beauty and strength in our vulnerabilities. Life is a gift, and I strive to honour that gift every day through my art.”

Ange Madame’s self-titled project is available on all streaming platforms. DM

S’bo Gyre is a rapper and freelance writer.

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

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