After making her mark with the single Ngiyaz’fela Ngawe on which she featured, Thabsie is ready to revive the R&B genre and make herself known with her upcoming album.
The artist, real name Bathabise Biyela, said she is ready to launch a career that introduces her as an artist to the public.
“It has been a great year of introduction for me,” said Thabsie. “It is my sixth month in the game and people are already familiar with who I am. It is really exciting that this is only the beginning for me.”
But playing in a genre that is not so popular in South Africa is a challenge.
“R&B is a very tough genre to crack and I don’t think anyone has done so in a while. I think the last person who really made a mark was the late Tsakani 'TK' Mhinga.”
The singer, who hails from Cape Town, says she does understand why this is so.
“Many R&B artists in our country mask themselves behind other genres, even though they have R&B deliveries in their music."
Among these artists, she lists Amanda Black, who sings to Afro-pop beats, and house singer Bucie as having an R&B sound.
“Artist don’t go typically R&B because it's not received well in this country. So that is why I have introduced new school R&B with a lot of hip-hop beats and changing it up with Afro beats but it still remains true to the core genre,” she said.
The singer released her second single this past Friday, titled African Queen and featuring rapper JR. She says it carries a continental sound.
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Her anticipated album, titled Songs About You, is complete and will be released on September 15.
“Every song is about someone. So it's a collection of personal experiences that I've drawn from and I expose a lot of emotional things, like heartbreak.”
She also features other artists such as Kid X and Sipho ‘Psyfo’ Ngwenya, and has another song with the award-winning Kwesta.
The 10-track album took three years to complete, and it's been a long time coming, considering how she just blew up accidentally.
“When I quit my previous job, I didn’t quite structure it or plan it to a tee. I was just frustrated in the job but was passionate about music. Everything that is happening now is really faith and God."
She expects that her new album will help prove that there is more to her, beyond the song she is known for.
“No one really associates me with being an artist on my own without attachment to that collaboration.
Thabsie. Picture: Supplied
"So this will be my very own work and solidify my entry into the industry and show what I can do by myself.
“What I love about this album is that everyone can relate to it. I think people will absolutely love it."