Motswana singer on a motivational journey

ROSE Nkau’s first taste of fame came when she was still part of her primary school choir.

The conductor always tested the members’ voices to make sure everyone kept their tune and could harmonise. Nkau was a soprano.

“I was 12 years old and when it was my turn to be called, I sang a few verses and she was surprised at my voice. I even thought I had done something wrong because my voice wasn’t like everyone else’s,” she said.

The teacher then told Nkau that she would be joining the boys’ choir.

“They wanted to try to see if the boys’ choir needed a female voice because they had never won at competitions before,” she said.

Soon after she joined the choir, they won a competition.

“That’s when I realised that maybe there was something about my voice,” Nkau said.

At age 15 she joined the worship team at her local church, the youngest on the team, and the leader.

“I discovered my talent for upbeat songs while in high school, when I would sing choruses for the assembly. I started practising a lot after matric and polished my vocals and writing,” Nkau said.

In 2012 she went into music full time. Nkau is signed to producer Prince Kaybee’s stable, Lowkey Records. She first worked with the house collective, Soul Majestik, in 2016 and had the opportunity to work on several songs.

“The remix of Redemption Song was one of the songs we recorded and performed at different places. It was highly requested, and when Prince Kaybee was looking for artists to sign for the new label the collective sent a demo that had the remix on it.”

The Gugulethu hitmaker invited Nkau to work on a project with him or sign to the label.

“It was the opportunity I had been waiting for. We started recording my album Rose on a Ranch in 2017 and released the first single last year.”

Earlier this year, the 27-yearold released Morena and has now released her third single, The End, as part of her birthday month celebrations.

“I wrote it for my mother. Last year, we had a heart-to-heart because she was not doing okay. She didn’t trust me with a lot of things and was worried about me focusing on music. She didn’t see it working out but gave me her blessing and promised to trust me.

“I want her to trust me enough to go on this journey because I have planned for it. The song is about putting an end to bad habits and changing your mindset to stay positive,” she said.

Nkau considers her music to be motivational. She wants fans to go on the journey of life with her and experience what she did through the music. She sings most of her songs in Setswana.

“It’s all about knowing your worth. As human beings, we all go through similar journeys. I want people to know who I am as a Motswana girl who is proud of her heritage.”