Singer Songwriters From South Africa

"In some cultures,’ she says, ‘people believe cancer means you are paying for something you did. A lot still needs to change"

"My bones are fragile,’ she says, ‘but it is a small price to pay for gaining 15 more years of my life"

"I had my family taken from me when I was young, but my aunt took me in. There is no need to dwell on what I don’t have"

"That is my song – if you are vigilant, you can catch it early and stop it."

"I was in denial when I received the results"

"My breasts were sore,’ she says, ‘with a rash and discolouration"

"I am everything that my heart desires to be. I am a woman, an artist, a lover of life and most importantly, a woman living a purposeful life. I am thankful for the gift of life and the chance to do what I love"

"From an early age, I learnt to have courage after seeing my community protesting and fighting against apartheid."

"Today, I am a fearless and driven artist because I was always surrounded by like-minded people"

"I love that I draw my strength from the strong women who fought against oppression and marched in 1956"

"I love that I am liberated and have the freedom to be a phenomenal woman because of the strides they took"

"I embrace my emotions, weaknesses and strengths. I love being a woman"

"I have a mother who is very passionate about the arts and she has always been very supportive of my craft. I believe parents should support their children but the most important thing is that as a child you need to work at making your parents understand your craft. Convince them that this is not just entertainment, but is like any other career. Your parents will take it seriously if they see you take it seriously"

"I realised that children nowadays don’t read because they enjoy it, they read because their teachers or parents tell them to. I want to change that. Through reading, the children are stimulated and their minds are broadened because reading inspires you and takes you places"

"With the book club, I wanted children to be inspired more because children are reserved and they cannot express themselves. That is why you find children being abused, but they don’t tell anyone about it because they cannot express themselves"

"I want to see more children, not only reading books, but being able to turn the books into plays and writing their own books because I think children would enjoy reading books that are written by their own peers"

"I know it's hard because how do you even begin ... but find that one person and tell them what you are going through and show them your scars"

"I realised that there are young people who want me to mentor them and I don't know where to start but ... Me sharing these stories bit by bit, it's a way of me healing, it's a process. I look at my life now at the age of 29 and I think of the 20 years of my life. When I'm finally healed, people will hear everything ... people will hear everything that has happened in my life"

"I am passionate about storytelling, I am a black woman and I know the hardships we face. I am excited about the people involved in this project. Some survivors of these atrocities, some having encountered abuse in their families, some in relationships - we all know of someone that has been abused and this is why we need to stand up and do something"

"I remember it so clearly. I know the pain, trust me, I really know that pain and I have been able to survive to be the strong person that I am today. I used music as an escape and, at some point, worked up enough courage to speak about it so I could start healing. I want to help others who, like me, have endured abuse because they are poor or are dependent on their abusers"

"I've been abused. I was still very young and my younger sister and I were abused. It was more of physical abuse and I know with my sister, it was more than that, because she had to do certain things in order for us not be kicked out of the house were staying in"

"You need to speak — the more I spoke about it the more things became clearer for me. The more I spoke the more I became honest with myself. That's how I began to heal. Not talking about it is one of the foremost reasons why women are depressed"

"You have to be determined to get out but that's also hard, because the abuse kills your willpower and sometimes you don't want to fight any more. It took me forever to get to a place where I could trust a man enough to date him because of everything I went through"

"The issue is we don't trust each other, especially as women. But the trick is, the first thing that really helps us get out of abusive situations and stay out, is to talk about it"

"When we were staying in Joburg. We were staying with my aunt and things were not nice there. There was a lot of abuse that I never even spoke about ... they ended up throwing us out of the house and we went to stay in a shack"

"It was a secret, in fact I only told my family after I stopped sleeping in the bathrooms because ... when I started getting sick I realised it was because I was sleeping in the bathroom"

"I'd have to go and sleep in the bathroom before I'd start working. That happened for six months and no-one knew. There was another woman who used to work in the bathrooms who eventually started leaving a blanket for me"

"I chose a long time ago that I will not post anything that will make others feel less than who they are, because social media plays a huge role in people's lives"

"If there is one thing I pray about every day it’s always being humble and always respectful. I pray no amount of money or fame will change that"

"I do not care if you have all the money in the world,but if you do not have respect, wow, I feel sorry for you"

"I would camp at Big Zulu's studio, so whenever he came to his studio we would all run away because I believe we were not allowed to be there. So we would camp there and make music. It was a lot of us in studio, until this one time I decided that I'm not gonna go when others were leaving, I'm gonna stay and see how this thing works"

"It was hard because when I came to Joburg I did not have a place to stay so I had to squat at the studio to record and make music until I found someone who gave me the opportunity. There were many challenges because of that but fast forward, things ended up good after I recorded uMuzi eSandton"

"I had the time of my life doing this, it was like being a kid the whole time"

"Because we need to keep this winning streak going,we can't let it be another 20 years before another woman wins"

"It's not the award that means so much to me;it's the fact that I was the first woman in 20 years to win the award after Brenda Fassie"

"I feel that with this journey and just relating to the album ... I felt an awakening, I think I reminded myself of who I am ... ever since I started waking up understanding my blackness and my place in the world ... It started then opening my voice again. It shows on social media now"

"I remember I was not able to express to people in the house that I don’t feel like getting up from bed, and not being able to give that a name, I just went through this darkness that I couldn’t explain"

"Going through the break-up within the lockdown, I was actually seeing what had actually happened, I had time to think about it and ask myself questions. I couldn’t really run away from myself any more, there was nothing to distract me ... Even being home, it reminded me of myself"

"They didn’t want me to be disappointed if things didn’t go my way. But I was so adamant. I was going to make it happen no matter what."

"I have always been a big dreamer, but obviously my parents and family will tell me to be realistic. It’s very rare that we get these opportunities in SA. Growing up, I used to watch a lot of Michael Jackson and Rihanna concerts; I loved it and wanted to do that. We are very close as a family and they are so proud, they get excited and it’s a whole celebration."

"I love it — it’s what I wanted. I’m super-proud of myself. I know this is the time when I’m just starting, but I know that it’s also the time when I have to really work because I want to make my home proud. It’s a lot to put on your shoulders, but that’s what I want. I really want eyes on all African artists in general, because we need more attention."

"I always know what I want and I trust [myself]. I also love collaborating and sharing other people’s ideas because everybody has something different. You never know, because initially with ‘Been Thinking’ it was a bit further into pop than I was used to, but I warmed up to it and recorded everything and it was great. That’s happened a lot where I’ve been worried or questioning certain things, but once I’ve done it I’ve ended up liking it, so I’m open to learning."

"I’m very determined. Tyla adds of her desire for further international success. If I want something, I make sure I get it. There’s a point where things become hard and you wonder if it’s going to work. But I always knew that things were going to work out eventually."

"I would tell everybody that I was going to be a pop star. My parents hoped I would grow out of it, but I never did. No matter who asked me what I wanted to be, I’d always say singer. My answer never changed."

"I wanna eventually buy my parents their dream home and make sure they don’t need to work another day in their life."

"When I was small, I was convinced that I was the best dancer. I never had dance classes but I would always try out all different forms of dance, from belly dancing to krumping, and now amapiano type dancing. I’m still learning but my love for dancing runs deep."

"I want to become the new reference and the start of something new."

"I grew up with a love for all types of sounds and never wanted to be tied down to one."

"I’ve just become someone who has a whole different level of pride for my home and where I come from."

"Whether its good or bad. Whether it influences others in a good or bad way. I was told by something at the back of my head that I need to go and work on my goals, go and find what you want to do, its possible. I was driven by the passion that I had."