We enter the new year with some positivity and of course great music from amazing artists to lead us into the brand new season. We had the honour to have a brief conversation with South African bred artist, Tusekah before the end of 2023 as she had a pretty amazing year musically from releasing her 2nd single of 2023 titled “I’ve Changed” featuring Sundial to announcing her very own tour in New Zealand titled after the single. The independently ran tour is set to take off from the 11th of January till the 25th of January with support from various acts.
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I first heard the single through a teaser on her instagram which blew me away as I was taken aby by the visuals which were retro and disco themed. Those visuals gave me a nostalgic feeling, taking me back to the times of your “Austin Powers” movies to your Mickey Mouse cartoons. I then knew then and there that we must do an interview with her as I wanted to further understand the concept behind the production of the track. She had a lot to share in which you will get to experience throughout the interview below.
Disclaimer: Interview has been configured/edited for reading purposes.
You made your musical debut in 2021 with your debut single “Childhood Friends”. How would you describe your journey in music since then?
So, my journey has been really exciting. I always thought that making music, releasing it, and having people actually listen to it and connect with it would be impossible. But then, things took a turn for the better. I got to go on tour with the incredible musician Oscar Ladell and my Spotify Monthly listeners started growing. It made me realize that maybe my dreams aren’t so far-fetched after all.
Performing for people has been a thrill. It’s amazing to hear them sing my lyrics back to me. And you know what’s even cooler? Meeting artists that I’ve always admired, both online and in person. It’s mind-blowing to discover that they’ve been listening to my music and are genuinely excited about my career. Oh, and let’s not forget the rush I get when brands want to send me stuff because they love my music. It’s unreal!
Every day, I’m learning so much about the music industry. And the best part? I get to do what I love.
“I’ve Changed” is an infusion of the disco, jazz and pop sounds, making it a potential soundtrack for a screenplay. What was the intention when creating the single and would you say that you can see it becoming a soundtrack for a screenplay?
So, I was thinking about this song, and I think it would be perfect for a movie soundtrack! Picture this: there’s this epic shot of someone walking down the street, or maybe stepping out of their apartment, or even in a room filled with flashing lights. And then it cuts to another person just staring at them in complete awe, like they’re in slow motion. It’s such a powerful song, you know? It really says so much. I can totally imagine it being used on screen one day.
What inspired the production and writing style of the single?
So I came across this awesome production by Sundial, a New Zealand Trio. They’re made up of Oscar Ladell on guitar, Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa on drums, and Micheal Crawford on keys. They sent me the instrumental recording and I instantly fell in love with it. It gave me a certain vibe that I had to sit with for a while before I wrote the song. I wanted to create a character for it, you know? The writing style is totally me. If you’ve listened to my released songs or been to my shows, you’ll get what I mean when I say it’s unique. If I had to compare it to a specific time period, I’d say the instrumental has a groovy 70s feel while the writing style is very modern.
Your sound is quite unique, How would you go on about with describing your sound and what genre would it fit under? (Would you create your own genre? If so, what would it be?)
I make music that combines all the genres I love. It’s a mix of Soul, Neosoul, RnB, Hip Hop, Jazz, Pop, indie, and alternative. So, it’s a little bit of everything. This answer makes sense when you listen to my unreleased music. I’m excited to explore my art further and confuse people even more about which genre I belong to.
Where was your headspace when putting together the single?
Oh, that’s a great question! When I was working on this song, I really wanted to go all out while still keeping it tasteful. That’s why the cover art is so different from what I usually wear and the lyrics are more self-indulgent. I wanted my fans to see a change in me, while staying true to the message of the lyrics. To me, this song is about finally being able to express myself and live life the way I’ve always wanted, even if others may not understand. It’s about embracing who you truly are. When I was creating this single, I wanted people to not only enjoy the song, but also relate to it on a personal level. One of my favorite lyrics is “I got further than you thought that I would ever be now you’re calling me asking me for my coffee company”. I hope when people hear that line, they’ll think, “I don’t need your company, I deserve better!” because they know their worth.
Having come from South Africa and residing in New Zealand, How would you describe the different musical atmospheres between the two countries and how has those two musical atmospheres amplified your creative process essentially towards “I’ve Changed”?
I genuinely think “I’ve changed” could’ve only have been written by me because of the many sounds I have been influenced by. It’s lead to a unique song that draws from different genres and different experiences. I moved from South Africa when I was 14 (the second time around). I always really loved and still love the music coming out of the South African music industry. I listen to so much South African music even till this day.
I literally played “iPlan” by Dlala Thukzin for 2 hours straight yesterday. I would say in South Africa, there is a huge variety of music coming out of there because of the multi-cultural country that South Africa is. I show my New Zealand friends South African music all the time because the music that comes out of South Africa is so great! New Zealand has a smaller population than South Africa so the music atmosphere isn’t as big as it is in South Africa but the atmosphere here is so great as well!
Can fans expect visuals to the single or a project in the coming year from you?
No visuals for this single are planned. However, I am touring New Zealand for all of January 2024 and will be releasing way more music in the year of 2024. The songs are so good and contain easter eggs from past and future releases, so I hope people catch on to those. In addition, I am planning to international with my performances and my collaborations so that’s really exciting.
What are you most excited about headed into 2024?
Where do I begin? The songs! The visuals! The shows! The collaborations! It’s gonna be my best year in music yet so y’all best be ready.
List your top 5 dream collaborators (From Africa) and why?
That is in no particular order and I wish the list was longer than 5. I want to collaborate with them because they make music that is so sick! Like I listen to their music and I’m like lemme hop on that real quick. I admire the way they’re moving through the industry and I love their music. I just feel like in general a lot of the artists and music I am excited about is coming from musicians out of Africa.
We are quite excited to see the growth within Tusakah’s career as she plans on taking the South African flag across the world. 2024 is definitely a year filled with progress for the young talent as she steps out of her comfort zone and experiments with the capacity and capability she possesses.
Listen to “I’ve Changed” by Tusekah below:
