Singer Thabsie talks about evolving to 'Afro-R&B' as her new sound

Songbird Thabsie’s four-year music hiatus included shaking off her imposter syndrome and forging a new path with an innovative sound.

Feeling monotonous in her craft, and in desperate need of a music evolution, the Cape Town-born musician took a much-needed break to find new inspiration.

Music lovers are getting a taste of this with new genre-fluid sound she has dubbed Afro-R&B. Thabsie is calling her experimental and comeback single Same Place her best work yet. “I’m currently going through my creative expression era," she said. 

"It’s a different references of where I’ve been with my music and where I am now. There is a lot of changes and a new sound but it’s still me, it’s still Thabsie. However, there’s definitely an evolution. Even though I haven’t been releasing music, I’ve been in studio honing my craft, and what you will hear is more growth.” 

The 33-year-old artist first provided her distinctive vocals on Kwesta’s smash hit Ngiyaz’fela Ngawe from his critically acclaimed and commercially successful album DaKAR II in 2016. She later found solo success with the release of original music in songs like African Queen, Macala and Sphesihle.  “South Africa is going through a different era. I want to experience this as a singer,” said Thabsie, whose real name is Bathabise Biyela.

“The main thing for me is that people shouldn’t fear pushing the envelope. If you want to fully live in an experience, you have to push outside any boundary imposed on you. We are living in such a wonderful time as creatives, where there are so many cross-genres and collaborators. There is no way one can stay inside a box.” 

In moving to her new era, Thabsie said she had to shake off her imposter syndrome. “When you have a public career, people expect you to always show up, forgetting that you go through things like self-doubt. I had to remember that I am human and I should allow myself to go through all these transitions,” she said. 

“I got to realise that I don’t have to exist within a box and the constant pressure from people asking: ‘When is your next music coming?’ I had to go through my personal journey, and luckily I had a strong community around me that helped me see that I don’t need to exist within people’s boundaries.”

Thabsie also used her music break to discover her other interests like fashion and business. “As I’ve been focusing on growth, I don’t really pay attention to the negative. Of course, it affects me, I’m human but I’m always open to feedback only if it’s given with good intentions,” she said. 

“I always say, If anyone has something bad to say, they probably don’t have anything going on in their lives. So, why should I worry myself with someone like that? I’m fortunate that the Covid-19 pandemic catapulted me into different spheres that I never expected. I got into the world of business and fashion. I realised that music isn’t the only avenue I can pursue.” 

Next Thabsie plans to take her sound to a global platform. “If I were to build a girl squad, I’d definitely include Tems, Ayra Starr and Tyla as part of the crew. I know our energies would be in sync because most of my friendships are based on genuine vibes and the music of these women resonates with me,” she said.

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