Khotso Ramaibi Thahane is ecstatic about the release of his latest feel-good single, “Tiisetsa”, from his upcoming album “Reflections”.
The song is about persevering in the face of difficult circumstances, like the Covid-19 pandemic, which has impacted the world.
“The song encourages people to have a vision and push relentlessly towards their goal in life, despite the life challenges,” explains the singer and composer.
Elaborating on the inspiration behind the single, Thahane adds: “I was working in a job I hated and was miserable ... Meanwhile I had dreams of making a full-time career out of my music.
“What I was doing seemed so far removed from what I wanted to do in life, that I used to ask myself: Am I ever going to get where I want to be?”
He was born in Brussels, Belgium, but his parents who are from Lesotho, ensured that Thahane understands and appreciate his culture as a Mosotho man.
His parents moved to the US before he was born. They later moved to the UK and other parts of Europe.
“Though we lived abroad, we would always visit Lesotho regularly, and I came to view Lesotho as home.”
Thahane says he discovered his passion for music at a young age, thanks to his parents, who were music enthusiasts.
“I have always loved music passionately since childhood. My parents were instrumental in assisting Lebo M and his best friend Vernon Molefe to come to the USA from exile in Lesotho.
“They used to live at our house and attend high school from there, and I used to watch them practise music every day and collaborate with other well-known musicians. They had a huge influence on me, and that’s when I decided that I wanted to become the very best that I could be in music,” he says.
Thahane later got an opportunity to work with the iconic Lebo M. He was a part of the South African studio team for the live-action Lion King movie soundtrack, led by the Lebo M.
He adds: “I’ve been very fortunate in my career to be able to call Lebo M a mentor. Because of our long-standing personal relationship, I’ve had the opportunity to participate and learn what it takes to work on big projects with production teams.
“He’s very strict on delivering at an international standard, and that’s what he has demanded from me on every project I’ve worked with him on, beginning from the music for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Fifa Confederations Cup in 2009 right up to the Lion King soundtrack.
"For the recent soundtrack, I was one of the studio technical production team members for recording the South African voices. It was inspiring and very educational to work on a project at that level, and it’s given me a lot of confidence in studio production moving forward.”
Now based in Lesotho, Thahane says his musical influences include Frank Leepa, Tsepo Tshola, Hugh Masekela, Joe Nina and Jaziel Brothers.
“Tiisetsa” is available on all major streaming platforms.