For Tankiso Mamabolo, music has always been about more than singing; it is a way of telling stories, expressing emotions, and bringing people together.

Raised in a family of singers who often made up songs at family gatherings, Mamabolo discovered the power of music to unite people from an early age. Her love of musicals, including Sister Act, also helped shape her artistic journey.

Her work brings together her experiences as a musician, theatre-maker and storyteller, with her two albums, Freedom Hurts Sometimes, released in 2018, and Thapo, released in 2023, reflecting different aspects of her life and the world around her.

“The personal experiences had to do with the growing divide in communities and the loneliness people, including myself, were feeling,” she said.

Through her first album, Mamabolo sought a way to express and soothe her worries and anxieties about adulthood. Her second album, Thapo, explored a more personal experience of grief and loss.

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“Thapo was written about my experiences with grief and losing loved ones while having to show up for work and continue to live,” she said.

Embracing multilingual songwriting

Her songwriting moves between English, isiXhosa and Sesotho, allowing her to express emotions that may not always translate accurately from one language to another.

“Some feelings can only be accurately expressed in a particular language when you’re multilingual,” she said.

Although most of her writing is in English, she remains intentional about acknowledging her mother tongue, Sesotho, and isiXhosa, which she grew up speaking.

Her background in theatre has also influenced how she approaches songwriting. For Mamabolo, every song is a story with a beginning, middle and end, often following someone searching for purpose.

She said theatre had helped her become braver and more honest in her lyrics.

That honesty is particularly important when addressing difficult emotions such as shame and hopelessness. Rather than viewing these feelings as signs of weakness, Mamabolo hopes her music encourages people to understand themselves and others with greater compassion.

“I hope listeners can find that shame and feelings of hopelessness are not an indicator of one’s inability to handle tough situations but honest emotions that help us be more empathetic of ourselves and others,” she said.

Returning to acoustic roots

As her music continues to evolve, Mamabolo is returning to a more intimate, acoustic sound that places greater emphasis on her voice and the message behind each song.

“Moving towards a more intimate sound is just me returning to my roots. I began writing music for one instrument where the focus would be on the voice and I want to get back to exploring that,” she said.

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Her journey has also taught her patience and the importance of trusting her creative instincts rather than allowing outside opinions to determine her work.

“Before, opinions mattered a lot more to me than just being honest and vulnerable. I have since grown to find value in my boldness,” she said.

For those discovering her music for the first time, Mamabolo hopes her work offers an understanding that people do not all experience or express emotions in the same way.

“This is just my way of turning those thoughts into something productive. I love music and this is the only reason I still sing,” she said.

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