Gqom singer Busiswa Gqulu is taking ownership of her story with the release of her third studio album, My Side of the Story.
She said it was about her personal experience of living in the public eye.
“The project was about me taking back ownership of my story. It’s an album of hope and being enough to live on your own terms. In this age of social media, often fiction becomes fact and the court of public opinion deems you guilty.”
She said she’s endured a lot of attacks and bullying on social media.
“I’ve been called it all, slut-shamed, body-shamed, physically and emotionally abused – if there’s a T-shirt for it, I’ve probably got it. It took me a long time to realise those past experiences don’t define me and the opinions of others are exactly that – opinions.”
Busiswa’s 12-track album is a mix of dance genres, from Afro-house to amapiano, gqom and kwaito.
Her strong voice narrates stories of the joys, pain and challenges of being a black woman in this modern age.
SBWL, the first single from the album, features rising artist Kamo Mphela and has already set the charts on fire and is certain to be on heavy rotation this festive season.
