OK Mzansi Magazine recently caught up with rising R&B star Xowié following the release of ALLO Deluxe, a powerful and emotional extension of her debut project. The deluxe release marks an important moment in her career and continues to place her among South Africa’s most exciting R&B voices.
ALLO Deluxe shows clear growth in Xowié’s confidence, storytelling and artistic direction. The project feels more personal and intentional, touching on themes of love, boundaries and emotional maturity. One of the standout moments on the project is “No One”, a collaboration with international star Stonebwoy, which highlights Xowié’s ability to blend African roots with a global R&B sound.
In the interview, Xowié spoke openly about her creative journey, personal growth and her vision of taking African R&B to the world. She shared how new environments, life experiences and collaborations have shaped the artist she is becoming.
OK Mzansi Magazine Interview:
1. ALLO Deluxe expands beautifully on your debut project. How would you describe your growth in confidence, storytelling, and self-definition since the release of ALLO?
Travelling to Kenya, my first international trip really opened my eyes to a different creative environment, as i had to develop the confidence of creating in a room full of other fellow artists with different believes and language without feeling inferior.
2. This project explores love, boundaries, and emotional maturity. What personal experiences most influenced this new chapter?
Growing up listening to the likes of Jill Scott and watching movies like Love Jones played a huge role in how I view the dynamics of love and that is evident in songs like “Brown Sugar”
3. You’ve mentioned that this body of work feels more declarative. How has your understanding of self-worth and love evolved as an artist and as a woman?
As a young woman who still has a lot to learn, being in an industry that is dominated by males, I’ve had to really grow thick skin and build the confidence to speak my opinions even in rooms where I felt like the people held more weight than I do and that is shaped by the strong sense of self-love I have for myself and confidence I carry.
4. “No One” marks a powerful collaboration with Stonebwoy. What made this the right moment to introduce reggae influences into your sound?
As a new artist, I record different sounds and when releasing music, I put out music that feels right, and making this collaboration with Stonebwoy felt like the right move to building that global recognition.
5. Growing up listening to reggae through your father’s playlist, how did those early influences shape your musical identity?
Listening to Artists like Bob Marley, Lauryn Hill made me fall in love with expressing music like poetry, it’s messy but perfect, it doesn’t require a structure, it’s heavily based on feeling and that is what influences my creative process in studio
6. What was the creative process like working with Stonebwoy, and how did the collaboration come together organically?
He heard “No One” as it was already recorded and immediately wanted to jump on it, within a day we had a studio session and 2 days later we shot the Visualiser while he was in South Africa.
7. Working closely with executive producer Andre “DreBombay” Harris, how did you translate your emotional language into a globally resonant R&B sound?
I first received a beat pack made by Dre Bombay from my Manager around August 2024, and fell in love with almost all the beats, that’s when it was decided to have him come down to South Africa and have a camp with him and this amazing writer called Kali Clare, create together from ground up, and with him being a versatile artist we ended up working on probably 4 different sounds, and during our studio sessions the chemistry was just so organic, that things were not really thought through or planned, we just went with how the sound made us feel.
8. Being named Apple Music’s Up Next artist was a major milestone. How did that recognition impact your confidence and long-term vision?
It solidified my confidence even more and made me feel like I’m on the right track to being recognised globally.
9. Songs like “My Time” and “Say It” set boundaries with quiet strength. Why was it important for you to express power without losing softness?
As a woman my femininity is my strongest suit, and that incorporated with me making a soulful sound, the message relayed is executed with softness regardless.
10. As an artist rooted in South Africa with global ambitions, how do you plan to carry your African identity forward as your music reaches international audiences?
South Africa has a very diverse group of individuals, and over the years we have been exposed to the whole world through Piano, we also come with different fashion styles, dance styles, from different cultures, and i plan to incorporate all that in the music i make with other international artists.
With ALLO Deluxe, Xowié continues to prove that her voice, vision and story are ready for both local and international stages.
