Thabo Smol, one half of the music duo Black Motion, has submitted his solo album “Di Thupa Tsa Smol” for Grammy consideration, IOL reported.
The album mixes Afro-house, jazz, bossa nova, alternative electronic music and world music. Smol, whose real name is Thabo Mabogwane, is a producer and percussionist.
“For years people knew me as the guy behind the drums in Black Motion, but they didn’t know the boy raised in Soshanguve by a father who collected vinyls and a mother who sang in church. This album is that boy,” he said.
Smol said the album is his most personal music so far. He said it was shaped by his pain, his purpose and his faith.
“I wanted listeners to discover that Smol is not just energy and drums, but also softness, jazz, soul, vulnerability,” he said.
Songs on the album include “Beautiful Mistake (Ikhaya)” and “Wela”. The Tshwane Gospel Choir also features on the record. The song “Set Me Free” uses bossa nova sounds.
The title means “The Drumsticks of Smol”. It points back to where his music started, with two drumsticks in his hands, long before he used laptops and synthesizers.
Black Motion became known around the world for mixing tribal house with live drums. Smol said the group shaped him as an artist.
“Black Motion taught me brotherhood, stage discipline, how to carry culture globally,” he said.
Drums are still at the centre of his sound. On the solo album he also tried gospel, jazz and softer, more intimate songs.
Smol said a turning point came while he was recording the song “Jazz Modiba”.
“I heard that live bass, that airy synth, my thupa riding gently, and I sat back and said, ‘We’ve returned home’,” he said. “That was the moment I stopped trying to make a hit and started making heritage. I knew this was the album my father would have played in the house on a Sunday.”
He has also been playing the album live. He said he became emotional the first time he performed “Ebhofolo Avenue” and “Papa Oteng” with a choir on stage.
“In studio, I’m talking to God. It’s quiet, it’s intimate,” he said. “On stage, I’m talking to the people. The drum speaks back.”
Smol said he hopes the album will help other artists who want to find their own voice after success in a group.
“I hope people take away permission. Permission to start again. To be in a successful group and still find yourself. To honour your roots while evolving,” he said.
Grammy consideration is not the same as a Grammy nomination. It is one step in the awards process, and nominations and winners are decided separately.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Entertainment. Image: IOL Entertainment. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Entertainment desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Rirhandzu Baloyi writes about entertainment for Tzaneen Voice. Rirhandzu covers South African music, film, TV, streaming, awards and celebrity news, from amapiano and local soapies to Showmax and Netflix releases. Stories stick to what happened, who was involved and when fans can watch or listen.