When Earth changed their name to Black Sabbath, a new era dawned for them. Their star rose because their name suddenly aligned with everything they embodied, and the same stands true for Augusta Zietsman.
Under her new name Sossi, the songstress makes a self-titled debut that is Afrikaans pop on her own terms, and we love it.
“I’m 100% a bad bitch but sometimes I’m a sad bitch,” Sossi explains.
Everything about this EP embodies the type of fun that Charli XCX brought to BRAT, and while this album was actually a huge source of inspiration for Zietsman, Sossi puts her own stamp on pop, with a distinct Afrikaans edge.
Songs like “Blok en Bless” and “Dik Lip” carry a blazing swagger that’s infectious, tinged by contemporary tones of electronica. “I’m more myself now than ever before,” Sossi explains, and it really shows.
But the playfulness she embraces on this debut was also encouraged by album producer Peach Van Pletzen. “His approach to creativity as play, as not taking yourself too seriously, is great” she tells me.
Peach’s influence is all over this record, his signature upbeat electro-pop feel coupled with Sossi’s clever lyricism.
“Oerkoek Energy” is a club-pop track through and through, with dramatic flare for good measure, while “Growwe Baard” is a dreamy offering packed with vulnerability, leaving us with an impressive scope of Zeitsman’s stylistic range.
Sossi was actually Augusta’s childhood nickname, and it marks a return to that same sense of freedom that is associated with being young and carefree. It’s all about finding a playfulness that so many of us abandon as we get older.
“Sossi allows me to create,” she says, and create she has. The world seen through the eyes of Sossi is full of light and love, and beyond reintroducing us to Afrikaans electro-pop, through the lens of a woman nogal, this self-titled debut is a reminder that Sossi is a force to be reckoned with.
