Tsholofelo Evokes A Meditation on Transformation With Her Title Single “Burning Bush” Taken From Her Highly Anticipated Sophomore Album
When we ruminate on the motif behind the burning bush, we consider the divine reckoning that transformed an obscure shepherd into a liberator. Ordained similarly, Richards-Bay born, Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal shaped singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tsholofelo, enchants an intersection of acoustic vulnerability and ambient folk transcendence with her latest single, “Burning Bush,” the title single from her highly anticipated sophomore album, which is a haunting exploration of metamorphosis that arrives today as the second single. Opening with the primal whisper of a crackling flame and the deliberate pluck of nylon strings, “Burning Bush” positions itself as both confessional and ceremonial, a sonic space where the personal becomes universal, and destruction gives birth to creation. It is music as alchemy in motion. Stream “Burning Bush” here: https://platoon.lnk.to/burning-bush
“But I once knew, a woman like you/she set herself ablaze in flames of fire” Tsholofelo intones, her voice carrying the weight of purgatory on to emerge refined rather than consumed. The prose echoes Viktor Frankl’s assertion that “what is to give light must endure burning,” a philosophical anchor that grounds this deeply introspective work in existential truth. Tsholofelo has always occupied liminal spaces, both geographically and spiritually. Her music exists in the fluid territories between indie folk’s confessional intimacy, soul’s emotional depth, and ambient pop’s atmospheric expansiveness. “Burning Bush” crystallises this genre-defiant sensibility, marrying her acoustic foundation with the hypnotic synth-pop production of collaborator Th&o (Thando Kunene) to create what feels less like a song and more like a ritual.
“Burning Bush” cover art | SUPPLIED
“Burning Bush” marks a significant alchemy from Tsholofelo’s previous works, her 2017 debut “Becoming” and 2022’s “Past Two Years”. Where those projects featured full bands and multiple instrumentalists, “Burning Bush” strips the process to its essence: artist and producer, working in intimate dialogue over three years of patient refinement. Resistant to the sparseness born of limitation, their intentional exposure and intuitive nakedness embed courage and maturity. Into every echo chamber of vocal texture, songwriting poise, and spiritual sensitivity.
Reflecting on her rebirth, she laments: “I needed to grow towards this song to be a particular person to write it”, acknowledging that the chord progression haunted her since 2019, waiting for her to evolve into the artist who could honour its potential. The Biblical resonance of the title is no accident; like Moses encountering the divine at the burning bush, Tsholofelo positions this track as the beginning of a journey, both spiritual and professional.
The production itself embodies this philosophy of refinement through fire. Carressed by a keen interest in Billie Eilish’s vocal layering style, Tsholofelo and Th&o (who also produced “Past Two Years”) engaged in the sacred act of “letting the song breathe”, which, through the guise of extended periods away from the studio, allowed them to return with renewed perspective. Layers were added and stripped away, backing vocals stacked and deconstructed (with Michelle Avanthay contributing to the lush harmonic architecture), until the song achieved its delicate balance between restraint and lushness, between the earthbound and the ethereal.
A scholar and musician, holding a BA in Music, a BA Honours (cum laude), and a Master of Arts in Popular Music Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Tsholofelo brings intellectual rigour to her emotional explorations. This is thinking person’s soul music, steeped in the South African storytelling tradition yet resonant with global seekers navigating their own transformations. “Burning Bush” follows the album’s lead single “I Once Was A Child,” which reintroduced audiences to Tsholofelo’s evolved artistry. Where the former announced her return with boldness, “Burning Bush” invites listeners deeper into the interior landscape, one that is more personal, vulnerable, refined and is the love child of lyrics and melodic ideas following the lead of her guitar.
Tsholofelo | SUPPLIED
The song’s central message transcends autobiography: surrender to the process, trust the fire that shapes rather than destroys, and emerge purified on the other side. Rooted as the antithesis of instant gratification and surface-level engagement, Tsholofelo strikes a chord that commands patience, rewards contemplation, and honours the slow, difficult work of becoming. Advancing the conversation of reshaping global conversations around alternative soul, indie folk, and genre-fluid expression, Tsholofelo navigates the eye of the storm, neither chasing trends nor rejecting them, but following the inner compass that has guided her from that initial 2019 chord progression to this fully realised meditation on transformation.
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