tshepo-mokoena

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‘It was buy eggs or put money on my travel card’: actor Lashana Lynch on Bond, Bob Marley and being broke
She shot to fame as the first female 007 and is now tackling reggae royalty as Marley’s wife, Rita. But the actor hasn’t always had it easy in an industry hostile to people without a safety net

Tshepo Mokoena

27, Jan, 2024 @7:00 AM

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The best songs of 2023 … you may not have heard
Guardian writers pick their favourite underheard songs of the year, from hip-hop to pop to country

Tshepo Mokoena, Michael Cragg, Kyle Mullin, Alaina Demopoulos, Ben Beaumont-Thomas, Jim Farber, Owen Myers, Benjamin Lee, Rob LeDonne and Shaad D'Souza

27, Dec, 2023 @9:11 AM

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The 50 best albums of 2023, No 1 – Lankum: False Lankum
Wrangling Irish folk into expansive new territory, the group’s stunning harmonies lead us through delicate beauty and nightmarish cacophony

Tshepo Mokoena

22, Dec, 2023 @3:00 PM

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‘When I’m losing I’m a “war refugee”, when I’m winning I’m “British boxer”’: Ramla Ali on labels, sparring and speaking out
Ramla Ali was just a toddler when her family fled Somalia for the UK. Now 34, she’s had enough of being defined by her past. She talks about life in the ring, Gaza, and how an upcoming biopic will let her drive her own narrative

Tshepo Mokoena

02, Dec, 2023 @1:00 PM

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Caster Semenya: ‘How would I label myself? I’m an African. I’m a woman. I’m a different woman’
She’s the Olympic gold-winner whose elevated testosterone levels led people to question her right to compete. With a few choice words for World Athletics, the middle-distance runner talks about labels, leaked medical records and how lowering her hormones took its toll on her body

Tshepo Mokoena

28, Oct, 2023 @6:00 AM

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‘Whatever you offer, I’ll take’: the poet who crossed Europe filming Black experience
Poet and artist Julianknxx took his camera around the continent, filming people sing, dance, recite poetry – or refuse to do anything but sleep. As the lyrical results go on show, he explains his odyssey

Tshepo Mokoena

12, Sep, 2023 @2:35 PM

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‘I don’t even know how to be me quite yet’: Jorja Smith on self-doubt, body positivity and her stunning second album
Living in her childhood town, the two-time Brit award winner is finally content. But, she says, insecurity still creeps in – especially after ferocious scrutiny of her appearance

Tshepo Mokoena

14, Jul, 2023 @4:00 AM

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‘We can’t breathe! We can’t see! We can’t hear!’ – meet the real-life MerPeople
It is the most uncomfortable activity imaginable – yet mermaiding is booming. Say ‘shello!’ to the magical merfolk whose lives have been transformed by the addition of a shimmering tail

Tshepo Mokoena

22, May, 2023 @3:02 PM

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‘Sometimes it is racism’: Jada Pinkett Smith on prejudice, typecasting and the fallout from that slap
She’s been picked apart by gossip columnists, stereotyped and had her alopecia become part of a global scandal. But now, as her new series hits our screens, the star is being zen about it all …

Tshepo Mokoena

10, Feb, 2023 @1:00 PM

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Sorry: Anywhere But Here review – bleary-eyed morning after with a dash of sweetness
Asha Lorenz and Louis O’Bryen swerve from hints of the Kinks to traces of Lou Reed with lyrics of pure youthful dread in this reflective, honest album

Tshepo Mokoena

22, Dec, 2022 @8:00 AM

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The 50 best albums of 2022: No 8 – Wet Leg: Wet Leg
The year’s buzziest duo picked apart millennial malaise – and the desire to delay adulthood – with smart gags and catchy choruses on the year’s breakout guitar album

Tshepo Mokoena

14, Dec, 2022 @10:00 AM

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‘Why did I feel rusty? White supremacy’: Kelela on writer’s block, outsiderdom and her long-awaited second album
The US singer and producer received mass acclaim for her debut album in 2017, then vanished. After a battle with perfectionism, she’s back with renewed self-assurance and one eye fixed firmly on the dancefloor

Tshepo Mokoena

25, Nov, 2022 @6:00 AM

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