A beacon of love and a muse for the phenomenon of human connection, these are the things that represent the essence of singer-songwriter and hip-hop artist WorldPeace. Simple, yet they are the same rarities that make life worth living. Armed with the mic and a heart that longs to see the world unified, she has made music not only her highest truth but also an aspirational calling that exalts the power of love.
The muso released her single, “Only Girl in the World.” A meeting of two minds born from a cold approach via DMs, WorldPeace talked about the creation of the song and building the song organically alongside SAMA-winning record producer Shayzar.
“The making of ‘Only Girl in the World’ was random—nothing about the song was planned. I was approached by Shayzar, the producer, and he engineered the song with me. He approached me on TikTok, and I was initially hesitant when he expressed interest in working with me. Told me he was a producer and sent me some samples of his work along with his WhatsApp contact. I took a chance on it because I saw from his page that he was serious about his work and making music.
WorldPeace | SUPPLIED
“When we met and decided to operate, he played me a lot of beats in the studio. He started with hip-hop because I did let him know that’s what I love doing. I got to listen to a lot of unfinished beats from him, and I was simply unmotivated by them, and I wondered if I would walk out of the session with anything. Then he played the unfinished beat for what would become the song, and it was the only one from the bunch that I felt could be better. I thought about laying down vocals to better it and tinker with it with some instruments. It was only after we’d finished the song did I learn that this was his process, his way of making songs—starting with an unfinished beat and then building on it until there was a finished product,” she said.
WorldPeace talked about the importance of human connection and the bond of love that exists when people decide to get together. She spoke about how “Only Girl in the World” covered romantic love as well as the idea of connecting on a social level beyond the boundary stones of romance.
“I hope that people feel empowered when they listen to this song. “I hope my song inspires people out there to believe in love, to know that the ideal type of love that exists in your mind is there and that you deserve to be loved in that way.” I want people to understand that it all starts with you and that when you know who you are and you love yourself, you understand what you deserve. Those things begin in the mind, and they are all attainable. Whatever you set your mind to is there, and you can find it.
Check out “Only Girl in the World”:
“Another thing is, I wanted people to understand that the world is still beautiful even if we are going through the most right now. There is love and true happiness out there. Those things are there, and getting those things is about us and connecting to each other. So while the song speaks about love in the context of two people in a relationship, the song is also inspired by how much love exists out there, love we are drifting away from slowly. I think the disconnect started during the whole 2020 Lockdown era, which led to us doing a lot of things virtually, things we could do in person. So that connection and the need for it are things I hope people never forget,” she said.
With the single out, the rapper-singer shared some of her plans for the rest of her year.
“My plan is to do more performances. So I’m working on getting on more stages that accommodate my type of music since positioning is everything. I don’t wanna be everywhere—I wanna be where I will be received properly. When it comes to what’s immediate, we are currently working on a music video for ‘Only Girl in the World,’ and I’m very excited about that. I’m also planning on putting together an EP, slowly at that—we are working on a summer jam right now, and the rest will follow. So it’s shaping up to be an interesting 2026, and I’m very excited,” she said.
WorldPeace | SUPPLIED
The singer expressed satisfaction with the trajectory of the R&B space locally, and also being on the bandwagon of the new age of the sound.
“I like the direction R&B music is taking in the country—there is so much talent in South Africa. There are so many beautiful vocalists, and I’ve shared a lot of rooms with my fellow up-and-coming peers, and whew, there’s a lot of talent in the house. Because we are also chucking out our R&B singers so they can try something for themselves abroad when we should be embracing them and making the most of them. I’m excited to see what the next few years will look like, and I’m happy to be part of the people who add to that movement and growth. There are also platforms being put out there and established for us, which is cool. The focus is slowly shifting in the music game and becoming a bit more evenly distributed instead of it being on amapiano solely,” she said.
At the heart of making good music is the willingness to grow and to remain open-minded. WorldPeace reflected on the things she felt were crucial to growing as an artist.
“Besides rehearsing, I think it’s important to educate yourself if you’re in music. Yesterday can never be like today. There’s always something new to learn every day, but you must expose yourself to the possibility of learning. Positioning is everything. I think practising a lot and experimenting with the music and with other sounds. Mixing up genres and sounds and instruments while working with new people. All of those things expose you to more chances of finding a new sound that could go on to be your signature,” she said.
