SINGER THIWE’S SHE VOL 1 ALBUM AIMS TO UNITE MZANSI’S FEMALE ARTISTS

I was born into a musical family. I believed I could hit those high Mariah Carey notes, and always used any opportunity to prove to everyone that I could sing. Growing up, I joined singing and dance groups like Sarafina, Mango Groove and Boom Shaka. It didn’t matter that I was in the background, I just wanted to sing and dance.

My dreams scare me because they’re very ambitious. But, the more impossible they appear to everyone else, the more motivated I am to go for it.

The SHE VOL 1 album was inspired by the Waiting To Exhale

soundtrack. I realised that we’ve never had an all-female album in SA. As female artists, we’re always squashed somewhere between the guys. We don’t collaborate or support each other enough. So this project is about bringing us together and building a solid sisterhood of female artists.

Female artists can work together. The space is big enough for all of us. We can celebrate each other. I reached out to as many women as I could, and ended up with the eight who are part of this compilation. They committed themselves to the work and followed through on their word.

I was so happy when the album was released online. The admin of getting so many artists into one studio was a hassle, but the response was amazing. We’re looking to do more to promote the album this year and to possibly take the show on the road, provided we secure the funds. I’ve got many projects in the pipeline, including the Women In Music Awards and festivals. I want to do Women In Music workshops around the country for upcoming female artists who need to learn about the music business. There’s so much more we need to do as women in music.