IN CONVO - with LeAnne Dlamini

LeAnne Dlamini leads an incredibly busy life. Striking the balance between super-mom and upcoming superstar is not always as glamorous or easy as she makes it out to be. But LeAnne is loving every minute. What we're instantly struck by when we meet LeAnne to chat to her is that she is incredibly easy-going and always smiling. She radiates a quiet confidence and the conviction of an individual building the life of her dreams. Throw in an ability to chat about a diverse range of topics and you've got an instant blend of celebrity charm with a definite sense of an individual with both feet firmly on the ground.

LeAnne first captured the world's attention when she wowed audiences with her audition on the X Factor UK back in 2012. LeAnne's moving rendition of the Alicia Keys song 'If I Ain't Got You' brought the audience to their feet and was praised by judges. Almost symbolic of LeAnne's ability to straddle the worlds of parenting and stardom, her daughter joined her on stage at the end. Her husband was supporting her from the wings: a beautiful image of a family woman continuing to pursue her dreams and allowing her talents to be heard.

We were incredibly excited to catch up with LeAnne shortly after her visit to Los Angeles; she was shooting a new music video for a single from her upcoming album and managed to squeeze in a visit to the Grammy Awards too. We were following LeAnne's L.A. journey with great fervor on social media: to catch all the envy-inducing moments (such as seeing Naomi Campbell in a Beverley Hills make-up store). 'I love going to the States,' LeAnne explains, 'and it was great working on my new music video there. They have dedicated styling teams to capture the look you are going for precisely. I wanted to update my look with a new hairstyle to make it fresher. I had great fun working on the music video.' And who can blame her? Jetting to L.A. and working with a cutting-edge team to produce a slick music video must be great fun - it certainly puts LeAnne a cut above other SA talents. But when LeAnne gets back home, she easily slips back into her domestic routines without missing a beat; before our interview, she had attended her daughter's school for a ceremony marking Ash Wednesday.

And about the Grammy's? 'I was so excited to attend. I had to get a dress that day, it all happened so quickly.' LeAnne settled on a fabulous white BCBG Max Azria dress which she wore effortlessly. 'The energy was amazing - seeing legends such as Paul McCartney up on stage was a crazy experience.' LeAnne also had a chance to see a favorite of hers, Beyonce, perform a moving gospel standard. She shared that she definitely aims to attend the ceremony as one of nominees at some point. 'That's definitely one of my dreams.' Judging by LeAnne's go-getter nature, that may happen sooner than we think. 

LeAnne will soon be jetting off to Dubai along with Shashi Naidoo, Tumi Vorster and Lorinda Voges. and we simply cannot wait to see the magical journey! Watch the video to catch some snippets of the hilarious convo we had while chatting to LeAnne.