Names: ESINAM, Sibusile Xaba
Nationalities: Belgian-Ghanaian (ESINAM), Kwazulu Natal-South African (Sibusile Xaba)
Occupations: Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, percussionist (Esinam Dogbatse), guitarist, vocalist, percussionist (Sibusile Xaba)
Current release: ESINAM & Sibusile Xaba's collaborative album Healing Voices is out April 25th 2025 via W.E.R.F.
Topic we are passionate about: We encourage people to stay hydrated (healthy), drink more tea, loads of ginger, iron your pants when you go out Lol.

If you enjoyed this ESINAM & Sibusile Xaba interview and would like to stay up to date with their music, visit their respective Instagram accounts: ESINAM; Sibusile Xaba

For a deeper dive, read our earlier ESINAM interview.



What were some of your earliest collaborations? How do you look back on them with hindsight?

Our first collaboration was when I (Esinam) invited Sibusile to be part of my first album as a guest on the track “Flowing River.” We collaborated during Covid time, long distance work.

I had sent him a draft, instrumental, and asked him to do something with them, some guitars and vocal. And he just added his magic and it all worked out so well, easily, so organically.

We knew we wanted to make more music together.

There are many potential models for collaboration, from live performances and jamming/producing in the same room together up to file sharing. Which of these do you prefer – and why?
 
We prefer human interaction: to be in one room working together, the energy flows better. Human connection, inter connection, real vibrations.

How did this particular collaboration come about?

I had an opportunity to play in South Africa (at the Womad Festival) and I invited Sibusile to join me for my solo show.

During our rehearsals we were sure we wanted to start a new project as a duo. Especially when we spent time together in Dyertribe studio to jam and prepare our set and we could record the first traces of the new collaborative tracks.

We experienced a lot of ups and downs in the logistical and technical department (we were with no electricity for 2 hours), but we had even more laughs and good vibes and this really made us want to continue with this project to have a real duo collaboration.

Describe your creative partner in a few words, please.

Creative, patient, hard working, disciplined, fun, always searching, inspiring, loving, supportive, playful, deep, same vibe (high vibration) ...

We both see each other like this.

What do you generally look for in a collaborator and what made you want to collaborate with each other specifically?

The musicality is definitely a first. The human connection is also very important.
 
Tell me a bit about your current instruments and tools, please. In which way do they support creative exchange and collaborations with others?

We are both multi-instrumentalists, this helps us to tell a very layered musical story with different instruments like the flute, guitar, vocals, percussions etc.

We complement each other with our instruments and creativity. We find a nice balance between the melodies and grooves, everything always falls in place to tell one shared story.

Before you started making music together, did you in any form exchange concrete ideas, goals, or strategies? Generally speaking, what are your preferences when it comes to planning vs spontaneity in a collaboration?

Our first encounter creating music was very organic, quite spontaneous and natural.

As the project and music grew, we started planning and organizing ideas and goals of how the music will sound. So when we do a world tour people can enjoy it in every place we play.
 
Describe the process of working on your first release as a duo, please?

We traveled back and forth to different countries, for example Brussels, Johannesburg, and Maputo, creating the music until we got to a point where our album was ready. We created and recorded in different places and contexts and all that nourished the music.

We also did a lot of work in post production and arrangements together with our sound engineer and even reworked certain tracks after they got new directions after playing them live.
 
Is there a piece which shows the different aspects you each contributed to the process particularly clearly?

All the songs on our album clearly express our individual influences and musical personality, making the music sound unique.

We both come with a very different background and yet all of that melts perfectly together in every individual track on this album.
 
What tend to be the best collaborations in your opinion – those with artists you have a lot in common with or those where you have more differences? What happens when another musician take you outside of your comfort zone?

For our collaboration, we embrace the process with alignment. We take what we have in common (taste for certain colors, choice of instruments, common inspirations) as solid pillars and it gives us strength.

Musically, sometimes we would hear or feel the music or the groove differently (maybe a downbeat somewhere else in the groove) but it is interesting to have different points of “hear”/view in the creative process.

Various ideas, or approaches come during the time we work, we listen to each other, we don’t have any ego while composing together, we take a chance to create contrast with our ideas. Similarities and differences are both welcome with open-mind/ear. That’s the interesting balance to find in a collaboration.

Another example are the live shows; they always take us to a place we don't know/expect. We embrace the unknown, a surprise of sorts, allowing a chance to explore and to connect deeply with the moment and also trust the (“unknown“) moment.

Also it’s cool to work with like minded people. For example, we are huge tea consumers, so we drink lots of tea everywhere. This brings us closer in a way.

Decisions between creatives often work without words. How did this process work in this case?

The music leads the way, the music leads … and the rest just follows. Let it flow … ;-)

“Flowing Keep Flowing” kind of resumes that. This was the first track we really created together based on a track of Esinam’s album where Sibusile first appeared as a guest.

No words needed … we just let the music flow and lead us the way.

What are your thoughts on the need for compromise vs standing by one's convictions? How did you resolve potential disagreements in this collaboration?

For us it was easy as we believe in the give and take philosophy.
 
Was/Is this collaboration fun – does it need to be?

Yes it was loads & loads of fun for us. We enjoy every time we play together.
 
Do you find that thanks to this collaboration, you changed certain parts of your process or your outlook on certain creative aspects?

Yes, for us every time you collaborate you always learn new things that help you grow as a musician and a person. We both learned a lot from each other and continue to learn from each other.

Esinam: Working with Sibusile, I learn from him as a human, he’s very connected to nature, spirituality ... As a musician he has his special way of singing and using his voice, as well as the sound of his guitar. His musicality touches me and I find that very inspirational.

When I heard him playing solo for the first time in Brussels few years ago, I was amazed by where it could go and what magic he was creating with his music. You know that feeling; when you go to a concert and it resonates with you after it.

Fun fact; because of him I am starting to develop a passion for beautiful or special socks … and make sure my outfit for the show is perfectly ironed. :)

Sibusile: Collaborating with Esinam has been so fruitful for me. I really admire her approach to things, like her mind space; very conscious, always think things out properly, very patient and super calm. It's super hard working for days I tell you.

I love that she speaks her mind without filter and does not settle for less when it comes to her goals. Her musical vocal is up there, sky high, a super talented musician. Actually, with her it's beyond talent, it's a God given gift. I mean all the instruments she plays she plays them exceptionally well, for me that's just amazing.

I truly admire this duo / collaboration. We both don't mind being in silence, we both love our space, yet we easily communicate and enjoy being together creating and performing. And two of the most important things are that we both enjoy laughing a lot and drinking tea … making us birds of a feather.

Esinam, ahh man, I could say so much, I just love her sincerely.