Tsholofelo Debuts New Single, “I Once Was A Child”
Young, African, and talented, Tsholofelo is a singer-songwriter and guitarist making waves in the contemporary music scene. Born in the coastal town of Richards Bay and raised between Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal, her sound is as rich and diverse as her journey—drawing from indie, folk, and soul, with storytelling at its heart. She describes her sound as eclectic, deeply personal, emotionally honest, and rooted in a genre-fluid sensibility. Her vocal and musical influences include Lianne La Havas, Adele, and Laura Mvula, while her songwriting is inspired by legends like Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell, known for their poetic depth and masterful storytelling.
A passionate creative and dedicated scholar, Tsholofelo holds a BA in Music, a BA Honours (cum laude), and a Master of Arts in Popular Music Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. As an independent artist, she released her debut album Becoming in 2017, followed by Past Two Years in 2022, an introspective single supported by the SAMRO Music Creation Fund.
“I Once Was a Child” single cover | SUPPLIED
The release marked a powerful return to form and introduced her to a wider audience after a period of relative quiet. She returns with “I Once Was A Child,” her first single from her upcoming album, Burning Bush, set to be released via Platoon later this year.
The single is a bold, striking announcement of her return and who she is, as she breathes life into childhood memories and the reflections of her 20s. It is a song that she describes as “a coming of age”, as she wrote it shortly after her 30th birthday. She states, “Part of navigating my early 30’s has been about getting back to the things I use to love doing as a child – looking at the world with joy, curiosity, and child-like wonder”.
The song playfully weaves together the memories of her adolescent, teenage and early adult years with the questions (and answers) of what the beginning of her 30s promise to bring. It is reminiscent of summers spent with her cousins, Sunday afternoons spent barefoot and free, and stories told around the table. Not only was she once a child, but she is now a woman stepping into new territory both personally and professionally, and is adamant on seeing the world with the same wonder – wide-eyed and curious.
Tsholofelo | SUPPLIED
The song opens up with 4 count raw, gritty strumming of acoustic and electric guitars against a steady backdrop of the organ, and slowly introduces elements that build up towards a cathartic and whimsical bridge and release. She worked with long-time friend and multidisciplinary producer and singer-songwriter, Thando Kunene, widely known as Th&o, for this song and for the entirety of her upcoming album, steadily over the past 3 years. Their chemistry, first as friends and as music makers enabled them to create an authentic body of work, that is bold, honest and resonant with global audiences.
“I Once Was A Child,” in particular, is an ode to every version of you that made it here.
The single is now available to stream or download on all digital stores, and make sure to request it from your favourite radio stations: https://platoon.lnk.to/IOWAC