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Kyle Desai's new country song and artistic evolution

Kyle Desai Image: Supplied ISIPINGO singer and songwriter, Kyle Desai, 26, has conquered his goal of expanding himself as an artist with the recent release of his country song called 'Home'. Desai said Home was inspired by the love he and his partner shared, and he wrote the song in about three hours. 'Writing becomes easy when you have the inspiration. But recording and refining it took a few days. I wanted to get the emotion right without overthinking it. The song dropped on my birthday, on May 22. I wanted it to be personal, as a gift from me to everyone who had supported my journey. Home is not just a song, it is a reflection of who I have become. 'It is about finding a sense of home in another person. Not just in the romantic sense, but in the way someone can calm all the noise in one's life. When I'm with my partner, it's like time slows down. There's this calm, this certainty, like I do not have to be anything other than myself. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'That kind of connection is rare and it reminded me that 'home' isn't always a place. Sometimes it's a feeling, or a person, or a moment that grounds you. That is what I wanted to capture in the song. Something warm, honest, and rooted in the kind of love that doesn't try too hard." He said he wanted to show South Africans that country music was special. 'Growing up in South Africa, I found that there was not much of a platform or audience for country music. I still found myself drawn to its honesty, its storytelling, and the way it carries emotion so purely. 'I was raised on rap. Hip hop shaped a lot of my early sound and identity. But as I grew as an artist, I knew I did not want to stay in one lane. I never believed in boxing myself in. Music is expression, and I have always wanted the freedom to be versatile and create from a place that is real. 'Country music, to me, has a kind of innocence. It is raw and reflective, and for a song like Home, there was no genre more fitting." Desai rose to fame in 2021, when he released his first song 'Durban' which became a local hit. It marked a turning point in his career and the song opened doors for him. He performed the song at the World Table Tennis Championships at the ICC in 2021. Since then, his music has been featured on multiple radio stations and he has performed at numerous shows. Desai started playing the guitar when he was nine years old. He said when his dad gifted him the guitar, it was not just a gift, it felt like a calling. 'I didn't know everything about music yet, but I knew in my heart I was destined for something greater. A few years later, my mom gave me a keyboard for Christmas, and that was when I really started to build my sound, layering emotion into every note. 'Church was a foundation for me. Gospel music also played a part in shaping me into who I am as an artist. It taught me that music is not just about melody, it is about ministry. From early on, I felt this deep urge to speak to people's hearts and to lift them, to challenge them, to remind them they are not alone. Music became my way of doing that. My way of healing and reaching others. 'The journey has been far from easy. There were times I questioned everything. But even in those moments, I held onto the belief that this gift was not random, it was placed in me for a reason. And by God's grace, I have made it this far. Every setback, every victory, every quiet prayer behind the scenes, it has all been part of a bigger plan. I am just grateful to still be walking in it." After releasing Home, Desai said he felt a 'deep pull' toward creating a full country album.