SINGER and song writer, Courtney Williams, also known as Courus from Thomas Gamble, Uitenhage recently established an online stream project to promote her music and to provide a platform for artists like her who have been heavily impacted by the nationwide lockdown regulations.
Williams, who relocated to Johannesburg in 2018, began singing when she was just eight years old at her school’s talents shows and at family gatherings.
Later, her uncle Danny Williams, better known as DJ Superman, invited her to sing at big events that he hosted.
“From a young age I would perform in front of big crowds without any hesitation or shyness,” said Williams.
In April this year, Williams’ hard work and dedication led to her releasing her debut single titled ‘Color’ which is available on all streaming platforms such as Apple music, Spotify, Deezer, Google Play, and YouTube Music.
Williams said she was inspired to write ‘Color’ after experiencing a life changing event when she got to know Christ on a deeper level, and she wanted to express and share the joy that He gave her.
“Color is about finding perspective in a dark place, with God being our only source of love and light, letting Him help and guide us. The song is exactly how you can see and interpret it, may it be God or Love inspired,” she said.
According to Williams, she does not like to box her music into one specific genre. Instead she makes use of a combination of Neo-Soul, Hip-Hop, Contemporary Jazz, RnB, and Soul.
“My music is a fusion of genres that I enjoy, and I would like to explore with sounds and draw inspiration from other genres even more on my next project,” she said.
Currently, Williams is working on her first four track Extended Play (EP) which she plans to release on August 31.
Listeners can expect to be taken on an emotional journey with relatable real-life experiences which include past experiences, gender-based violence, being in love and how God is amazing.
Owing to the impact of the nationwide lockdown regulations on artists who are dependent on live performances to earn a living, Williams recently hosted her first live online show titled ‘Courus online stream project’ to promote her EP.
The show received a total of 3100 views on her Facebook and Instagram but was later removed and can be viewed on her YouTube channel.
Williams plans to continue her online stream project monthly which will showcase different titles, themes and feature various artists to allow others to use her platform to showcase their music.
“COVID-19 had a huge impact on us as musicians in many areas among others, financially and mentally. The idea of the show was to create a platform for musicians to perform again and in turn embracing our passions and using our gifts to virtually share our music with the world,” said Williams.
She further said if the shows are supported well, they can generate some income and attract people that want to do similar events to support and hire the talented musicians and crew on the project.
Williams’ hopes for the future include releasing her first album next year, collaborating with some of her favourite artists and winning Grammy Awards for her music.
