Mood Spins: Charisse C

For this feature, we caught up with Charisse a few weeks after she released her first single of 2025, Siren’s Interlude.

A song inspired by - The Little Mermaid. Sirens in Greek mythology were water beings - beautiful and alluring to the sailors lost out at sea. The single creates this enticing sound bed with it's mixture of sultry vocals and creative landscapes.

So who is Charisse? Well, she's a woman that does it all — DJ, artist, singer-songwriter, and label owner.

Before stepping behind the decks at daytime apartment parties, she was shaping the conversation around music from the age of 15. What she is doing in the music space is beautiful and in the same breath important — she’s preserving it, amplifying it. A curator of sound, building the bridge between cultures, giving voice to Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Through her label, Abantu, and her NTS radio show, Charisse has created a permanent home for Southern African sounds in global dance music—Afro House, Melodic House, and Alternative R&B all breaking bread in the same room. Her sets often move between the rhythmic pulse of Gqom, 3-Step, and the now-global love of Amapiano.

Previously a music journalist, Charisse sees herself as both a vessel and a storyteller. Whether through her DJ sets, label, or live events, her work is an evolving expression of her influences and experiences. She has taken her sound to international stages, sold out her own ‘Abantu’ night at Village Underground twice, and earned recognition from platforms like Mixmag and BBC Radio 1. Her mixes can be found on Boiler Room, Radio 1, BBC Radio 6, BBC 1Xtra, NTS, Rinse FM, and No Signal.

I sat down with Charisse the other week to imagine what it would be like to step inside her playlist.

1. You’re walking into the club with your girls - what track is playing as you enter?

   
   

Max Senzeni -  Gqom on Gqom

This song has been a staple in my sets for years now, it always does it for me! It’s an instant party starter.

2. What’s the one song that instantly connects you to home, no matter where in the world you are?

Lundi - Ongqongqozayo

South African Gospel always makes me think of the warmth of my Mum and Grandma, this song is one of their favourites and it always makes me feel like home.

3. You’re curating an Abantu event—what’s the one track you’d drop to get the crowd excited?

Charisse C & Kwamzy - Morning Sun

We celebrated the release of this song at Abantu last year, and I’ll never forget the response. It was beautiful, it’s one of the spaces where I get to experience this song being sung in unison because people who come to Abantu are like family!

4. It’s 3 AM, you're at the studio — what track is inspiring your session?

Mansur Brown - Mashita

I find this song so moving. Anytime, anywhere, it will always stir something in me.

5. What’s a song that perfectly captures the feeling of the changing seasons, like Europe easing out of winter or Southern Africa leaving summer behind?

   
   

   Siren's Interlude - Charisse C

   
   

   I intentionally released this song in a period of changing seasonings because it felt fitting.

   
   

6. You’re driving through the city at night, what song are you playing?

   
   

   The road is long - Thakzin, Mo-T, Mas Musiq

   
   

   The song feels like its title, the road is long. It’s the perfect song for a long drive.

   
   

7. What’s a song that made you fall in love with music?

   
   

   Frank Ocean - Nostalgia Ultra

   
   

   Frank Ocean is a formative artist for me, that Nostalgia Ultra project is in my hall of fame.

   
   
   
   

8. If you could only play one track on your NTS show that fully represents your sonic identity, which would it be?

   
   

   Rekere Tech Step - SGVO, Kabza De Small, Artwork Sounds

   
   

   This song has a bit of everything that I love in music production.

   
   

9. You’re on a plane heading to a dream destination with your girls —what song is playing as you take off?

   
   

   iPlan - DBN Gogo

   
   

   This is a song for the gworlzzzzz!

   
   

10. What’s a song that you would give to someone as a love letter?

    
    

    Inside Out - Ravyn Lenae

    
    

    This song is a reminder to hold your head up high and never forget who you are, to know that you are loved and to never let anyone make you feel unworthy.