Taylor Netshivhale devotes her time to writing books and composing songs, which she considers her lifeline when things become too much for her.
Taylor hails from Tshifulanani village. "When I was nine years old, I fell in love with writing poetry. Later, it evolved and at the age of 16, I started to write novels. My first poem was about the resilience to the Apartheid government, displayed by former president Nelson Mandela," she recalled.
Her parents are both singers. After reading Taylor's first poem, her father suggested she turn it into a song while he played the guitar in accompaniment. "This is how I discovered my singing talent and decided to make it one of my life careers," she said.
In 2016, Taylor managed to record her debut single, Always love you. "I recorded the song at a small studio in our area. The studio does not exist anymore, but they were very grateful for the chance to record my first single then."
Taylor's life has been rough at times. When her father became ill, she had to sell traditional beer for a living, which landed her in trouble with the law. Fortunately, she was not arrested, but this difficult time was what led her into composing songs with healing messages. "At this point I decided to focus full time on singing and writing novels," she said. Among the books she authored are The Reality and Just a Little Prayer – which deals with the issue of the abuse of women by others in power.
Although Taylor admires her singing parents, she is also inspired by musicians such as Makhadzi and Kelly Khumalo.
For more information about her music, call Taylor on Tel 066 138 9067 or follow her on Facebook (Taylorgal Wazwothe).