Hailing
from Johannesburg, Reba Red aka Reabetswe Mohlabane, is the latest winner
announced in the Hunter’s x Jacquel Culture House (JCH) nationwide Talent
Search. Reba Red is a 26-year-old R&B and Jazz vocalist/songwriter.
Hunter’s
x JCH is a partnership between multi-award-winning African Pop Maverick, TRESOR
and Hunter's Premium Cider. The collab seeks to be an empowerment platform
providing support and career development through ongoing mentorship and
industry knowledge-sharing; #RefreshingtheRules of the music industry.
Reba Red describes herself as a quiet girl who kept to herself and her close-knit group of friends. “No one even knew I could sing until Grade 10! I would ditch my homework duties to play CDs and sing along out loud in my mom’s car. That’s what I did with most of my time – perfecting my Beyoncé, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston notes. This happened so often that I let the car battery die. In order for my talent and the car to not die again, my mother taught me how to put the gear in neutral and switch on the car for a bit to charge the battery”, said Reba Red. “My mom deserves a massive shout out for letting me do my thing – the time in the car gave me great voice control from learning all those songs.”
Reba
Red’s music is uplifting, the kind that will make you believe in love again.It
will remind you to be kind to yourself and view life’s challenges as lessons
and not failures. Self-reflective instead of destructive. Having no formal
training or education in music, her natural talent, passion, and determination
have driven her to self-learn everything.
“Music
kind of chose me, to be honest, I tried to ignore it, but alas, all my greatest
work and opportunities to date have come from music. It’s where I thrive, where
I am my best and where I don’t need to second guess myself, everything is
driven by intuition and feeling. I get to express myself fully and be
experimental. Out of all life’s choices I was faced with, music was a
no-brainer. I only started releasing music in February 2022, even though I have
been singing and writing for as long as I can remember, but somehow releasing
music came late for me. Call me a late bloomer vele vele, but I trust the
process and I am happy that everything has happened the way it did. The road
ahead is longer than the one I’ve left behind and I am excited about the
future”, says Reba Red.
The Hunter’s x Jacquel Culture house initiative is exactly what up-and-coming
artists need.. In a turbulent industry, having someone like TRESOR recognise
you and take you under his wing is almost worth more than money. A game changer
in its own right. Acting as Reba Red’s mentor, TRESOR, has spent a lot of time
mentoring and jamming with her. He has exposed a bit of himself to this
aspiring new artist and revealed a bit about his own journey.
“After the shell shock wore off, I got to have the best time with TRESOR. He is such a chilled guy, he is humble, and he gave me gold nuggets to carry with me throughout this journey which I like to call – a chess mate. Stay humble, and know when to talk and when to listen. Always give a hundred percent. Winning this definitiely puts me on the map in terms of being more exposed to the industry and its dealings. I’ve already met a few people I look forward to working with and seeing how I can be of value and service. Receiving the recording equipment has also solved the one roadblock I was facing, " concludes Reba Red.