MUSIC IS MY THERAPY

Singer Jesse Clegg says writing songs is helping him deal with the gaping hole left after he lost both his father and partner to cancer

- NOKUTHULA ZWANE-EJIKE 

THE losses were staggering. First, he lost his father, beloved musician Johnny Clegg, to pancreatic cancer. Then came another devastating blow: cancer claimed the love of his life too and he was left alone to care for their infant daughter. 

Nobody would blame him for buckling under the weight of grief, but Jesse Clegg is working through the pain the only way he knows how – by putting pen to paper and pouring out his heart in song. 

The 34-year-old is making his new music when YOU catches up with him at his recording studio in his home in Dunkeld, Johannesburg. “This album came about during a chaotic period of my life,” he says. “I’m yet to determine the final theme, but I’m writing about my experiences.” 

The first single from his as-yet unnamed album is dedicated to Dani Cooperman, the mother of his child. Jesse couldn’t believe it when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2021, just two years after his dad died aged 66, and was heartbroken when she passed away in September last year. 

“Her soul has moved on to its next great adventure and she’s now at peace,” he said on social media. 

“She’ll be dearly missed by her family and the many lives she touched. She was the love of my life and an incredible mother to our daughter, Mylah. Her beautiful spirit lives on in her.” 

In his first interview since her passing, the singer-songwriter says Dani’s absence has left a gaping hole in his heart. His new track, Call To Hear Your Voice, is an ode to her and is filled with longing and love. 

“I wrote it while I was homesick in LA,” says Jesse, who travels between South Africa and Los Angeles where he’s expanding his career and networking with players in the music industry.