Thando Zide Finds Healing and Power Through Vulnerability on New Single “Break”
The South African artist premieres the visuals for “Break” exclusively on OkayAfrica, offering a powerful glimpse into healing and emotional strength through music.
The Soweto-born singer-songwriter opens up about anger, faith, and creative trust on her latest neo-soul offering.
Thando Zide is a healer through song. Her melodies peer into the depths of darkness and draw out hope. Her pen is sharp, carving lyrics that explore love, betrayal, anger, and vulnerability with fearless clarity. "I've always not liked the fact that I wear my heart on my sleeve," the soul-stirring Sowetan vocalist and composer tells OkayAfrica. "I've always tried to be this hard person that people can't decipher."
Music has lifted that veil. It's shown her that vulnerability isn't weakness, but power. We witnessed this with her 2023 debut EP uMvulo, and through collaborations with Manana, Muneyi, and Jabulile Majola."[Music says to me] 'Girl, people are gonna come into your heart, they're gonna know what's happening inside of you, whether you like it or not,'" she reflects. "It's beautiful to open up. Even though it's risky, it's beautiful. That's how you build connections."
One of her connections is with producer and artist Fiji Mageba, who hinted at their studio sessions when OkayAfrica spoke to him back in February. The result of that collaboration is "Break," a soothing neo-soul meditation on the weight of life and the need to momentarily step away from it all.
Trumpeter Robin Fassie's horn cuts through at key moments with piercing beauty, while Carlo Jooste's bassline keeps the song rooted in something earthy. Thando Zide credits both artists for creating a space where her voice could remain central. "They don't impose themselves onto your work," she says. "They're like, 'Okay, this is what we have. What do you have?' I like working with people like that."
Her voice is tender, but don't mistake that for softness. "I'm not a rough person – when I speak, when I interact with people. I'm very respectful, I'm very calm," she says. "But when I wrote that song, a part of me was like… 'just write.'"
The opening lines hit like a gut punch: "I seldom react, but they chose the wrong day to play dumb / This year's been rough, man / The soothsayers say it's God's plan." She delivers it with a cadence straight out of a rap notebook.
"That was the state I was in mentally, coming out on paper," she explains. "I was very angry. That situation took me to a place outside of myself, outside of my character. Naturally, I'd just let things go."
The accompanying visualizer, directed by Abongiwe L. Booi, premieres exclusively on OkayAfrica today. Matching the song's restrained energy, it's a monochrome depiction of what it feels like to get home after a heavy day. The artist kicks off her shoes, makes tea, journals, and dances.
"How can I calm myself down? I just pray about it. I know it sounds cliché," she says. "It doesn't have to be overly religious. I'm like, 'God, help me.'"
