New kid on the block Thabsie made a life-changing decision when she decided to quit her job and focus on her music career. She does not regret it. The singer, who is featured on celebrated hip hop artist Kwesta’s latest hit, Ngiyaz’fela Ngawe, will release her debut album soon.
Thabsie, who was born in Cape Town, studied Economics at the University of Johannesburg. After graduating, she worked as a banker but found herself consumed by music.
“Like most people, my love for music started in church. I was in the choir and loved it. As I grew up, my love for music increased and I knew that I wanted to share my gift with others.
“While I was studying, I was a back-up vocalist for artists such as Khuli Chana and Donald. When I graduated, I went back to Cape Town to work.”
However, her love for music was so deep that she left her job and returned to the city of gold to pursue her music career.
“I enjoyed my job at the bank but I was so consumed by music that even my colleagues would always ask me why I was working in a bank and not making music
“So, one day I told my boss that I was leaving and the rest is history. I didn’t even tell my family that I had left my job,” she said.
Fast forward to 2017 and South Africa was introduced to Thabsie when she teamed up with Kwesta.
“We recorded that song two years ago. He was in the studio and I was just chilling in the building and then he said that he needed vocalist and he would like me to try it out.
“So I did, but I was very conscious when adding my voice to this song as it’s such a raw and real song.
“It all happened very organically and I honestly would never have thought this song would be so huge and such a success.”
She said that since working with Kwesta, she has felt the pressure to deliver great music.
“Once Ngiyaz’fela Ngawe happened and people started noticing me, I was like ‘oh snap this is real’.
“I haven’t felt overwhelmed but I do want to make amazing music and working with Kwesta was amazing because I learnt so much from him,” she said.
The young star recently released her first single off her upcoming album, Cry, which features Kid X.
“Cry is a very personal song. In fact my album, which is called Songs About You, is very personal. I started writing some of the songs on it, two years ago when I was going through a really bad breakup, so half of the songs reflect that.
“The other half reflect me being happy with the way my life is now and the moves I have made.”
Thabsie sees her music as new R&B and says it will be a breath of fresh air. “My sound is very different. I want to set myself apart from other artists and this year it’s about introducing myself to music lovers,” she said.
* Songs About You is set to be released next month.