Pascale Yav is a singer and songwriter who is passionate about music and inspiring people. Residing in Johannesburg, South Africa, she discovered her songwriting ability during her collaborations with other producers and artists.
Pascale released her debut gospel single titled “Settle Down My Soul” in 2021 which aims to inspire listeners to be still and know that God is moving even amid storms, believing that He works everything together for good.
Released in October 2023, her latest EP album titled “A New Thing” is centred on renewal, restoration, God’s faithfulness, and unfailing love. With her soothing soulful vocals, and uplifting lyrics, Pascale hopes to drive listeners to a place of peace and restored hope for the future.
“Shortly after I released my first gospel single “Settle Down My Soul” in 2021, I had a strong conviction about the message of God doing a new thing. We were all still living through the impact of Covid, walking around with our masks, and I sensed people were mourning the loss of loved ones, business, opportunities, and maybe even questioning their life’s purpose because of that feeling of hopelessness about what the future holds”, said Yav.
“This is when the lyrics and tune of the EP’s theme song, A New Thing came to me, and I quickly wrote it down and spoke to my producer about it. I thought it was going to be a single, but after my producer sent me the musical arrangement for the song, I just knew this project this time around had to be bigger than just a single. I also knew that the songs had to be uplifting, soul-touching, and contain interesting guitar riffs and rich sounds that carry the powerful effects of the songs’ messages of hope, renewal, and restoration”.
The songstress says all this happened during a difficult time. “I was going through a season of unemployment and really trusting God for an opportunity and direction. So about 3 months after writing “A New Thing”, I was really connecting with the idea of how our challenges make us stronger and develop our character, and that’s how the project’s opening song, Stronger came about.
Most of the songs were written within a year, and then the studio recording sessions took place over 5 months and completed about two months before the EP got released. Set within the genre of gospel RnB and soul, A New Thing is filled with melodious vocals, guitar riffs, and rich sounds that carry powerful effects and messages of hope and restoration.
A New Thing also sees Pascale’s first gospel collaboration, featuring singer and music producer, Kind Dav on the song Faithful where his soulful and masculine vocal range adds strength and a unique beauty to the message of the song as their voices blend together. The EP then concludes with a beautiful ballad titled Sans Toi that “depicts the realisation of the steady love of God and truth that we never want to be without Him as nothing else in the world could ever satisfy like He does”.
When asked about some of the people that contributed to the success of the EP – Pascale had this to say: “My producer, Pastor Emmanuel Kongolo, has played a key role in the success of this music project. I always say, you could have everything in this world, but without the right people, it’s difficult to go far. Pastor Emmanuel does not only understand and translate my ideas, but he develops them and brings them to life through the value and quality of sound that he develops. He has also been a constant source of encouragement to me because he greatly believed in what we were trying to achieve through this project. As the music director on this project, he worked beautifully alongside Producer Nini Maluks from Laminar wavy studios and later with King Dave who brought out the best of that R&B feel on the vocal production and sound mixing and mastering”.
“I also had the help of some lovely backing vocals Stephanie Yav, Valerie Mapfumo, and Gracia Kimon on the song “A New Thing”. And of course, great visuals always go without speaking, so shout out to TM Productions photography and my brilliant graphic designer Steve who captured the essence of the project through the cover art”.
“My family and friends have also been incredibly supportive throughout the process and helped me stay encouraged especially when I experienced setbacks on the project. Last but not least, Amanda Matshaka from Anointed Media also played a big part in arranging my radio tour. Thanks to her, I was able to complete close to 10 radio interviews post-release, which really helped in getting the word out about my EP and exposing me to audiences I probably wouldn’t have had access to without her help.”
A New Thing is the first EP and second gospel release by Pascale Yav – the reception of the EP since its release in October has been phenomenal. It is available on all digital platforms.
By Sinenzolo Mondi – Nduku
