Praise notes that, although the album is about grief, “it’s not a sad album, it’s actually quite a positive album”
A year after losing his mother, singer-songwriter Brenden Praise has mourned and honoured her with the release of an album, The Gap.
“The idea of The Gap is a bunch of meanings. The gap in terms of the space that has been left [by my mother], but also the space between where we are and where we hope to be,” Praise tells The Citizen.
Praise’s mother passed away in September last year, and he says the month has been tough.
He shares that his days are different; sometimes there’s a sense of gratitude, while on other days he is filled with remorse.
“The feelings I sort of go through is, like sometimes I’m grateful for having had the opportunity to have my mom for 30 years of my life and so I think that’s really the most dominant feeling. Sometimes obviously there’s so much regret in terms of the things that we didn’t do and we’ll not be able to do anymore.”
Praise has three siblings: an older sister, an older brother and a younger sister. Though they don’t live in the same province, they make an effort to support each other in dealing with the grief.
“I think we’ve made an effort in terms of really big moments and just generally know what the other person is doing,” he says.
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Brenden Praise’s music
Praise says people have responded well to the nine-track album because they can relate to it.
“I think a lot of the people sort of relate to the feel of the album, which is really talking about gratitude and just also dealing with grief,” he says.
He says that even though the album is about grief, “it’s not a sad album, it’s actually quite a positive album”.
The album features a diverse range of elements that you wouldn’t expect from a gospel project. From Afro pop duo Blaq Diamond to contemporary gospel singer Hle and house music artist and DJ Morda Bongz.
He says the features are reflective of his music taste. “For me, when I think about music I really think about leaving a piece of myself in the world,” he says.
This is not a new thing in Praise’s work. He had the same modus operandi for his 2023 album Mhalamhala.
“When I create these albums, one I want it to be a body of work; I want it to be cohesive in terms of the listening experience. But two, I want it to be very distinct in who it’s for. I look at it as a piece of art, I think to myself ‘here’s a painting, who’s the best person to get involved’.”
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Life after Idols
Praise became famous through the reality TV singing show, Idols SA, in 2013, where he was the runner-up. Similar to many who took the same journey but didn’t win, he has carved out a career for himself after the show.
He says the show helped him a lot. “The experience was really valuable. I learnt so much about music, working with people, the industry,” he shares.
However, he says, as much as the show opens the door for artists, it doesn’t guarantee a seat at the table.
He says he always told aspiring artists who wanted to enter the singing competition when it was still on air about the nature of the show.
“When the show was still on, I would tell people that ‘just remember that you’re gonna win money, not a career’.”
He says for a few years after the show there was a period where things weren’t going his way but this has matured him. During that time, he got married, which he says helped him see life differently.
“That [marriage] sort of inspired me differently; I started to look at life differently in terms of not really being obsessed with being an artist and a musician, but rather just trying to have a fruitful life.”
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Praise’s coffee shop
Earlier this year, Praise opened a coffee shop in Fourways named Sunday. “I’m big on coffee,” he says.
“I love anything that’s artistic and requires a process. Coffee is like a rabbit hole. You get into it and there’s so much to learn about the science of it, about the art of it and the process. It’s something that I’ve just been doing over the past couple of years.”
Together with his partner, they launched the business in May, but he says they’ve been focused on getting the product right and offering excellent service, rather than just selling a brand.
“It’s been steadily growing and engraining ourselves within our community.”
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