Capetonian indie-pop singer & producer, Gabi du Plessis (aka Valley Sixteen) is an authentic, unapologetic musician who wrote hits for other singers before taking the risk in 2021 to release her own voice, giving us songs that both heal and break your heart.
Named in May 2021 as an Apple Music Up Next artist, she’s experienced her share of career lows and highs (dare we say, valleys and mountains?), but – like all great creators, she never gave up.
Some of those lows were literally floors – her debut EP, Apartment Flaws, was recorded on bedroom or bathroom floors in apartments in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Germany. It immediately hit home, hitting the heart with songs that tackled the emotions we all feel and a clap back to her critics, hopefully for ever.
It’s an inspirational story of claiming, or reclaiming, your experiences, knowing yourself and the realisation that not everyone will ‘get you’ – and why that’s a good thing. Why fit in when you were born to stand out?
In an exclusive interview, Weekend Turn Up sat down with Valley Sixteen to find out what stage of her life she’s in right now, what drives her – and what drives her crazy.
With a mike in one hand, bottle of Tabasco in the other, feet ready to tackle the next mountain (or run from spiders), she’s unlike anyone you’ve ever known. Vibrant and sparkling, yet with a voice and songs that express the raw melancholy we all feel but struggle to communicate, Valley Sixteen speaks for us. And to us – right here.