Yandani Emerges as a Defining New Voice in Modern African Pop and R&B with Debut EP “About You”
South Africa’s Next Pop-R&B Star Yandani Shapes His Debut EP “About You” Into A Multi-Layered Story Of Young Love And Self-Worth
Emerging South African singer-songwriter Yandani announces the release of his debut EP, About You. A six-track body of work that blends contemporary R&B and Pop. The project explores the emotional complexities of young love through stories of devotion, desire, uncertainty, heartbreak and self-worth. Honest, relatable and emotionally rich, the EP marks Yandani’s most complete artistic statement to date, introducing listeners to a songwriter unafraid to embrace vulnerability while celebrating personal growth.
At just 20 years old, Yandani has already built an audience of more than one million followers on TikTok through his captivating covers and original content. Now, with his debut EP, he takes his biggest creative step yet, translating that growing online audience into a fully realized body of work that represents both an arrival and an evolution. Recorded over two years across London, Durban and Cape Town alongside acclaimed collaborators Stephen Barnes and Sacha Skarbek, the EP showcases Yandani’s emotionally honest songwriting, refined artistic confidence and a clearer understanding of his creative identity, cementing his place among South Africa’s exciting new generation of Pop and R&B artists.
“I’d describe the sound as the perfect mix of R&B and Pop,” Yandani explains. “I wanted the music to feel emotional and relatable, but still uplifting. Even when the songs deal with difficult situations, there’s always a feeling of confidence underneath everything.”
About You EP is not built around a single narrative. Instead, it operates as a collection of emotional experiences and perspectives, with each song exploring a different stage of young love and relationships. The project moves through infatuation, emotional uncertainty, heartbreak, healing and self-worth, allowing listeners to recognize pieces of their own experiences within the music.
“The project is really about young love and all the emotions that come with it,” Yandani says. “Relationships, situationships, heartbreak, confidence and everything in between inspired these songs. I wanted each track to capture a different feeling that people can relate to.”
Across the EP, Yandani explores devotion, attraction, vulnerability, emotional exhaustion and self-acceptance with a level of honesty that never feels performative. The songs are less interested in providing answers than they are in documenting emotional realities, allowing listeners to connect with the music through their own experiences.
“I hope people hear something they recognize in themselves,” he shares. “Whether they’re in love, heartbroken or just trying to find confidence again, I want the music to remind them that it’s okay to feel everything and still know your worth.”
That emotional openness extends into the songwriting process itself. Rather than approaching the project with a strict concept, Yandani allowed the songs to develop naturally through instinct, melody and emotion.
“My songwriting process always started with hearing a beat,” he explains. “Stephen Barnes, Sacha Skarbek and I would start building melodies together and then I’d follow wherever the music was taking me emotionally. What I wrote about always depended on how the beat made me feel.”
Leading the project is the EP’s title track and lead single, “About You,” a heartfelt record about falling so deeply for someone that life feels incomplete without them. Written for “lover girls and lover boys,” the song captures the excitement and vulnerability of giving your heart to another person, setting the emotional tone for the rest of the EP.
With About You EP, Yandani delivers a debut project that expands his Pop and R&B foundation while staying true to the emotional honesty, youthful perspective and personal growth that define his artistry. It is the sound of a young artist confidently establishing his own identity while inviting listeners into the experiences that have shaped him.
Track List
- About You
- Touch
- Undecided
- Forget
- Room 212
- Honeydew
Track Descriptions
About You
I wrote about falling so deeply for someone that you would do anything for them and without them you don’t feel very whole and feel like somethings missing. I wrote this for all the lover girls and lover boys to relate to and for them to even sing it to their partners.
Touch
Is about being so in love with someone to the point where you lose control over your own life. Even though the person seems to be “playing games” with your feelings, their beauty and presence are so powerful that you are willing to drop everything just to be near them and do anything for them.
Undecided
I wrote about a situation where you aren’t really sure if you fully want to give this person a chance to be with you but on top that they’re also so confident that they have you already and that they can get you but you are still, Undecided.
Forget
Is about that moment where you finally realize that no matter how hard you can try, you can never fix or change a person no matter how much love you give them. ‘Forget’ is about being tired of putting in all your energy into a relationship but somehow still finding yourself coming in second place and deciding to stop wasting your energy on someone who doesn’t treat you like you deserve their love, their time and attention
Room 212
Is a song that is about just going away from the crowd with someone who makes you feel completely at ease. Room 212 is like that place/room where the world fades and it’s just the two of you completely free, honest and real, away from everyone’s judgement.
Honeydew
Is all about confidence and feeling yourself. Feeling comfortable in your skin and owning that you’re you, unique and overall iconic. It’s my confidence booster type of song with also elements of young love put in there because I think that’s cute and love love.
Stream About You HERE
