It’s very courageous, and a little sweet, to name your debut album after your own disbelief. For Lloyiso (born Loyiso Gijana in Eastern Cape, South Africa), Never Thought I Could (Part 1) feels less like a title and more like a confession: that the boy who began his musical journey at age 12, who stepped onto the Idols SA stage in 2015 as a teenager from Uitenhage, who was dropped by a label before finding his footing again, could not have imagined arriving here. A debut album, released on his own terms under EMPIRE, after a UK number one with Clean Bandit and a sold-out show in London
The project is seven tracks, no features. That last part matters because from the first note, it’s clear Lloyiso didn’t need anyone else here.
This might sound crazy, but his voice makes your ears feel like they’re drinking hot chocolate. Rich, warm, and deeply comforting in a way that feels almost unfair to other singers, given how effortlessly he seems to deploy it. Opening track “Rain” is the most immediate proof of this: it’s the kind of vocal performance that could make Sam Smith wish he’d recorded it instead. Soulful, controlled, and emotionally precise, it sets a ceiling for the album that somehow keeps getting revisited.
“Higher” and “High” pivot into more energetic territory with buzzing synths and harmonies, yet the production frames his voice rather than fights it. “Fragile Things” and “Fade Away” continue that upbeat, dance-pop energy while still functioning as vocal showcases.
Then there’s “Scary”, the current most-streamed track on the album for good reason. There’s something in its production that suddenly reminds you exactly where this artist comes from. It’s something in the rhythm, maybe the percussion, that feels distinctly African without being loud about it. It doesn’t announce itself; it just exists.
Closing track “Lost & Found” ends things on a great note. It’s anchored by a falsetto that genuinely stops you in your tracks. It’s the kind of ending that makes the “Part 1” tag feel like a promise.
This album is melodious, reflective, calm, but not low-energy. If there’s any drawback, it would be that the cornerstone is absolutely his vocal ability; nothing else really rocked my world. Also, at seven tracks, the project is a little lean. I’d have liked the artist to spend a bit more time with us.
Never Thought I Could (Part 1) is not a night-out album or background noise for a party. It’s a project I’d listen to while doing my makeup before heading out, that quiet hour before I’m ready for the world to see me.
Part 2 has a lot to live up to, whenever it arrives.
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