South African R&B star Nanette transforms hate comments into 'painfully happy' album success

Nanette is a Durban-born singer-songwriter who has become one of South Africa's most compelling voices. Her career began in 2020 and since then she has shown sonic versatility. 

Coming off the release of her latest body of work, Nanette is stepping into a new era and she’s doing it with optimism. The singer’s new album, Painfully Happy, draws deeply from her own life, and for her, it’s more than just a project.

Nanette dabbles in R&B music and has been featured on various Apple Music playlists. Her music will be appreciated by old school R&B lovers. Her sound is all about blending Amapiano and Afropop with subtle elements of Hip-hop to complement her R&B background. 

Standout tracks on Painfully Happy include Abazali, Suddenly and Make it Dance. This project showcases how Nanette is able to touch on themes of Identity and ambition. 

“I feel liberated and well. It feels like there is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders,” Nanette told Weekend Argus.

“More than anything, I feel optimistic. This is a very beautiful project that everybody can enjoy. I feel like everyone should listen to this project. It’s a movement.”

The album was released on Aug. 29 and Painfully Happy has already exceeded her expectations. “It’s still very early in the release of my album.” Nanette said.

Nanette said she  is excited because album continues to grow on her audience with each passing day. “People have gravitated towards it much more than I expected. My following has quadrupled since I released this body of work. I am really excited about how people will continue to receive the project.”

The 12 track project includes just one feature Baby S.O.N, a deliberate choice with a personal story behind it. “I’ve known Baby S.O.N for a while. He is actually the one who introduced me to Kelvin Momo, which led us to making ‘Fool Me,’ and from there we became friends,” Nanette explained.

“When we had to do ‘JJK’ I was working on Painfully Happy. When I heard the beat for ‘JJK,’ I knew that Baby S.O.N would be the perfect fit. I respect him so much because of the work that he has done in dance music. Some people call him the T-Pain of South Africa. I personally feel that he delivered.”

But the journey hasn’t been without challenges. As her profile grows, Nanette has also had to navigate online negativity. That experience directly inspired the album’s closing track, How Much You Can Really Take.

“I wrote the song after I read a few Twitter comments and I didn’t really like what I was reading,” she said. “I think it was my first experience of dealing with hate. I didn’t know how to handle it at the time. It was really overwhelming emotionally for me. And I wrote that song. It’s a song about how internet trolls, who are not compensated, spread hate and can ruin lives by sharing lies online.”

With Painfully Happy, Nanette signals just how far she’s come since earlier projects like Bad Weather and The Waiting Room. More confident than ever in her artistry, she’s ready to step into her next chapter as one of the continent’s most exciting voices.