Tauriq Ismail.
Tauriq Ismail, 19, from Woodstock is hoping to make a splash in the music industry with his debut single, One Life.
Tauriq wrote the lyrics to One Life, released on Friday September 17, and worked on the beat with his friend, Aarif Nordien, at deBoov Studios in Lansdowne.
“I wrote One Life as I saw that people are going through a tough time with relationships, so this song is to bring positivity and hope for everyone to let them know that they will find that one person for them,” he says.
The rhythm ’n’ blues and pop singer says he is using the single to make a name for himself before working on a full album.
“As I am independent, it costs a lot of money to produce a full album as you are spending more time in the studio,” he says.
Tauriq remembers being in Grade 2 and doing karate at Mountain Road Primary School in Woodstock when his teacher played the Justin Bieber song, Baby. “I later did my research on him and saw that he was young making a name for himself, and from that time I always used to enjoy writing songs,” he says.
He was still in primary school when he started a band with his friends called the New Flames.
He drifted away from music while at Gardens Commercial High School, he says, but decided to give it another crack after finding inspiration in the success stories of Cape Town musicians.
“I want to become an inspiration to the young generation of people and nothing should stop you from following your passion,” he says.
Visit instagram.com/tauriq.ismail/ to find out more about Tauriq and list to One Life.