Artist Spotlight - Ms. Thandi

Ms. Thandi’s music has a uniquely intoxicating aura. This being her immense ability in taking the listener’s spirit elsewhere by nestling itself into the fibres of their subconscious and leading them through a journey of love, honesty and vulnerability. Throughout Ms. Thandi’s discography you will find an artist who is unafraid to push the limits of her sound, whilst still creating tracks that please the heart and ease the soul.

An astounding vocalist distinguished by a lush, sensual delivery, Ms. Thandi’s voice is free & uninhibited, albeit precise in how intricately it unravels the stories she weaves and the feelings she evokes in her tracks. Throughout her music you will find a refrained, yet unapologetically open artist, one who is seeking to embolden listeners with a feeling of self-love and confidence.

Having been a part of the local hip-hop and R&B scene for years, November 2019 saw Ms. Thandi announce herself to the world with the release of her solo debut single ‘On The Table’ alongside a feature on Sydney rapper RENNAN’s track ‘Crisis’. As far as entrances to the music scene go, ‘On The Table’ has to be one of the funkiest artist entrances we’ve ever heard. Featuring a delightful mix of lavish synths, ephemeral harmonisation and a perfectly placed bass guitar, the track sees Ms. Thandi coming to terms with a relationship that has outstayed its welcome, splitting her time on the track between the use of her exquisite vocals and an emphatic rap flow that’ll leave you enthralled.

2020 proved to be a huge year of releases for Ms. Thandi, with solo releases ‘HUNNY’ and ‘The Eyes’ joined by collaborations with Scruffs & Yawdoesitall on ‘Meditationz’ and with multi-instrumentalist & electronic artist JONCE on ‘DEMONS’. Each track reflects Ms. Thandi’s talent in transcending genre seamlessly.

February release ‘HUNNY’ is an optimistic ode to an out-of-this-world kind of love which sees Sydney producer (and regular collaborator) Sumatra laying down an eclectic concoction of sounds for Ms. Thandi to express herself on. From there, Ms. Thandi combined excellently with producer Scruffs and hip-hop artist Yawdoesitall on the reflective ‘Meditationz’. The track displays the talents of each creative perfectly, with Ms. Thandi delivering a thoughtful & raw statement about how the recovery from pain is a slow and enduring process. October’s ‘The Eyes’ is as intoxicating as its titular ‘eyes’ are conveyed to be. The song sees Ms. Thandi caught up in feelings of deep desire for a significant other; someone who directs her heart towards places she’s never been. Her final release of the year ‘DEMONS’ (alongside JONCE) is an ecstatic mixture of attitude, self-empowerment and a delightful beat.

Ultimately, Ms. Thandi’s soulful expressions of emotion make it abundantly clear that individuals who are left unopposed by self-doubt and trepidation are readied for the world ahead every day. Ms. Thandi wants listeners to go forth with a sense of empowerment in who they are after experiencing her music. And if anything, Ms. Thandi wants you to love yourself in order to feel free to overcome all challenges both internal and external. We highly recommend listening to not just Ms. Thandi’s intimate & immense discography, but in addition to it, her astounding ‘Create or Die Live’ set which was released in July, 2020.

Published April 28th, 2021.