Ms. Thandi

Western Sydney keeps feeding the R&B pipeline and Ms Thandi is one of the names carrying that weight right now. She grew up around old soul and funk, soaking up the kind of records where the vocal sits right in front and the groove never lets go. That history shows up in her sound: R&B and neo-soul with a live band feel, clean top-line melodies and writing that leans into romance, lust and escape without feeling corny.

Her first drops, On The Table and HUNNY, put her on the radar as more than just another smooth voice. triple j Unearthed clocked it early, calling her one of Sydney’s most exciting new voices and running her as a feature artist off the back of those tracks. From there you start seeing her name pop up across the scene: on R&B playlists, on local bills, and in collabs with artists who know she can cut through a mix without having to oversing. She has kept that lane consistent, whether it is the flirt of HUNNY, the low-key ambition of Want It All or guest spots for other R&B projects.

The Eyes sits right in the centre of what she does. Released in 2020, it is officially tagged as neo-soul, but the real key is the writing: she calls it a “lust song disguised as a love song”, built around that split-second when you lock eyes with someone across the room and feel the pull straight away. The production keeps it warm and close, bass and keys giving her vocal room to glide while the hook circles that first hit of attraction. It has become one of the anchor tracks in her catalogue, the one people name when they talk about her as part of the new wave of Australian R&B.

On Mood on the Roof, The Eyes moves out of streaming-headphone territory and into an open-air night shot. The song leans even more into its late-night energy: her vocal stays relaxed and controlled, the band keeps the pocket tight, and the whole thing feels like you are catching a private moment that just happens to be amplified over the city. It is the side of R&B that is built for feeling good first, thinking later, which has always been Ms Thandi’s agenda.

This week’s Mood on the Roof is performed by African-Australian R&B singer/songwriter Ms Thandi who captures you in an instant with her soulful sound. Our interview with her ‘captures’ the story of her artistry and meaning of this latest track, ‘The Eyes’.

Her early exposure to music came from her dad who provided a multitude of creative influences – “growing up around his love for music and his passion for music definitely influenced me, and playing music all the time, just being surrounded by it, and just falling in love with music”.

Ms Thandi has a diverse range of influences but the biggest of those? – “My number one biggest inspiration is Erykah Badu. … More recently, I would say Ari Lennox, that kind of new wave of like alternative R&B, like Daniel Cesar, and even people like Anderson Paak, his flow has inspired me a lot. It’s that kind of in-between singing, rap thing.”

‘The Eyes’ is a song about lust – “It’s about the moment when you link eyes with someone, a stranger and you start fantasizing. It’s about desire. … It’s all in the eyes.”

A confident performer, it’s hard to believe that Ms. Thandi only released her debut single ‘On the Table’ in November 2019. This was soon followed by ‘HUNNY’ in February 2020. Fortunately, fans won’t have to wait long to hear what’s next from Ms. Thandi with her first upcoming EP, ‘Every Song Is A Love Song’ already in the works and due early 2021.

Another opportunity to see her perform is fast approaching, with the Big Sound 2020 virtual concert this week – “I’m one of 50 artists who were chosen to be a part of that, which is really exciting.”