Next Up: Thando talks Releasing 3 Singles in 3 Months and Making Music from Lockdown in South Africa
Thando wrote her first song under lockdown in South Africa a little over three months ago. Since then, she has released two more singles and is getting ready to put out her debut project before the year ends.
A snippet of her latest song “Weak” gained some notable traction on social media and made it easy to lean in. Soulful melodies rounded off with strong lyricism makes Thando a pretty good bet when it comes to emerging talent in South Africa.
“I saw this TikTok of a girl saying she wrote a song in 20 minutes-and I thought to myself that I could totally do that . So I did.” Thando shares candidly, about how she convinced herself to finally make music. She emphasizes that music was always a big part of her life, and that this simple video demystified what she thought would be a pretty complicated process.
Although she admits that it took her a little longer than 20 minutes-the biggest revelation came in knowing that it could be done at all.
Thando forms part of a new wave of artists who are positioning themselves in the drivers seat of kick starting their careers, and who are leveraging social media to speed up that process. She is happy to remain independent until the right opportunity comes knocking and until then-she’s determined to make it happen for herself.
In our interview, I talk to the blooming R&B singer about her creative process, plans for the future and why she believes it's so important to remain balanced through it all.
This interview has been lightly edited for the purpose of clarity and context.
Jade Kelly: What does your relationship with music look like?
Thando: I’ve always had a love for music. I just never imagined that I would be the one making it.
What changed to convince you to finally make that transition ?
This is gonna sound so silly but the final straw for me was seeing this TikTok. There was a girl who was talking about how she wrote a song in 20 minutes and I thought to myself “How hard could it be”?
So..how hard was it?
Honestly, it came a lot easier than I would have imagined. It took me a little longer than 20 minutes though-but it finally broke down that barrier for me and made me realize like..oh sh*t, I could really do this music thing.
You put out 3 singles in the last 3 months which is pretty impressive ..Is there a strategy behind this?
Strategy? Girl no. At this point I’m literally winging it and doing whatever feels right.I’m home [on a break] from school in London and I finally have the time to try new things so I was like..why not, you know? Its also a process of wanting to be better than the last thing I put out-and that has all happened really quickly for me
When you say home from school in London..
Oh yeah. I’m currently enrolled doing a degree in Accounting and Finance.
What a contrast! How do you plan on managing the two?
Well..right now I’m just hoping to strike a good balance between the two and hopefully get this degree. I do realize that I have yet to experience the pressure of doing both atthe same time, but I’m pretty optimistic about it.
How would you describe your sound?
I’m still in the process of developing my sound and there’s a lot of experimenting that goes into that..But as for what I’ve already put out and what's to come, I would say I fall somewhere between RnB, Soul and Pop.
When can we look forward to new music?
Ill be putting out the first single from my debut project very very soon and I hope to have that project out by the end of the year.
Can we expect any features?
Not at all. I’m really trying to develop my sound and build my audienc before I ty and latch onto anyone else. I’d love to collaborate on future projects though.
Who would be your dream collab?
If i could put down a song with anyone in the world, it would be Sam Smith. My local favorites would have to includer Sho Madjozi and im obsessed with Langa Mavuso! For real, look him up-his gold.
What are you most excited about?
Definitely performing live. I haven't had the pleasure of performing my own songs to a live audience and I think that would be a pretty dope experience so I’m looking forward to that.
Stream “Weak” here.
“I hope to create a brand that meaningfully contributes to the music industry by showcasing tomorrow's music today.”