Former Miss World Rolene Strauss talks to Channel24 about her brand-new spoken word album, Secrets to My Growth.
The 26-year-old, who was crowned Miss South Africa and Miss World in 2014, and graduated as a medical doctor from the University of the Free State in 2017, believes a spoken word album is not as far fetched as some people might believe.
“I participated in Miss South Africa as a 19-year-old in 2011 and was vastly unprepared. I also couldn’t speak English very well. I made such a fool of myself when I didn’t understand the question put to me on the final night,” she says.
She adds: “I picked myself up and in less than three years returned to be crowned Miss South Africa and Miss World. This album is about the lessons I learned while growing as a person during that time.”
The album, which consists of various life lessons and personal stories, is something Rolene says she has been “wanting to do for a while.”
“I’ve had so many people asking me, whether I could share some of my tips and some of the things that I’ve learnt during the past two years, especially on my Miss World and Miss South Africa journey. I would love to speak to each and every person, but I’m just one person. So this was the perfect opportunity to really share some of those secrets that enabled me to grow as a person with the world.”
When asked why she decided to compile a spoken world album, instead of a book like many other celebrities have done – with great success, she says: “I thought about doing a spoken word album, because it is the first one in South Africa and there isn’t really anything like it on the market.”
She admits that in today’s day and age, we don’t always have time to take time out of our schedule to relax with a book, or listen to a long e-book and that’s what makes Secrets to My Growth so perfect.
“I’ve recorded bite size pieces of practical tips and inspirational stories that people can listen to in the car on their way to work. There are 14 tracks and each track is about three to five minutes long.”
Rolene then hints at the possibility of other new projects to follow, saying: “There are a few things that are on the way, but I’m not allowed to say more than that. But there a few exciting things coming after the album.”
Most of the tracks are deeply personal to Rolene, who wrote the majority of the material herself, and she confesses that it was at times a daunting process.
“I’m sharing a lot of personal things, and I’m not sure what to expect,” she says
The album also features local musician Jo Black, and some of the tracks were written by her husband, D’ Niel. Gushing over her husband, she says: “I’ve learnt so much from him. He is ten years older than me, and he is very mature and wise.”
“That is what makes the album so relatable to people from all different backgrounds, ages and genders. There is something for everyone.”
Talking a bit more about the topics on the album, she says: “Most of the tracks are deeply personal, or touch on things that I wish I knew when I was younger. It’s really about learning from others, there are a lot of things I’ve learnt from someone else. And I would love to share it with other people, and pay it forward. Not that I know everything, I keep learning everyday. ”
Two tracks, Pretty Hurts and You Are, have already been released on online streaming platforms and people were surprised to hear the former beauty queen break out in song on Pretty Hurts.
Source: Channel24
