From retail to barcadi: BQueen’s rise from struggle to spotlight

Rising bacardi musicianBQueenis enjoying her moment in the spotlight after years of working in retail. The 32-year-old, fromDaveytonin Ekurhuleni, is releasing her new singleJika’Ma’jikaon Friday, featuring Mapara A Jazz and produced byBongani Fassie. BornBusisiwe Sigenu, she takes Sowetan on her music journey.

Before music, I was working in retail for many years. I was in the sales department. Music was never planned.

It just found me. That’s when everything changed. I suddenly found myself around creatives, singers, and people in the industry.

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That’s also where I met Nigerian artists I worked with on my first song calledImmaculatewith Oz Zagalo and Pupa Tee. That was in 2021. That song introduced me to the industry.

It had a music video; it played on Channel O and MTV Base. But I was still working my nine-to-five at the same time. It was not easy.

Sometimes I’d have gigs at night and still go to work early in the morning exhausted. I couldn’t really focus properly. But I had responsibilities; my kids, my family, and life was demanding.

I was the breadwinner. So I had to push through both worlds. In 2023, everything changed.

That’s when I met Bongani Fassie. I was also let go from my job because I wasn’t performing well at work. I was overwhelmed.

In that period, I lost everything… my job, my place. I even had to stay with friends and host in clubs just to survive. It was a very difficult season.

Meeting Bongani changed everything. I told him my whole story, and he said, “Come stay with me. I’ll give you a room, and I’ll mentor you in music”.

That moment gave me hope again. He didn’t just help me with music; he gave me stability when I had nothing. How did that mentorship translate into your music career?

That song opened doors for me. I started getting booked for gigs, performances, festivals… things I hadn’t experienced before. Having him in my corner changed my visibility.

Now you’re releasingJika’Ma’jika. How did that song come about? It was very organic.

Mapara A Jazz invited me to the studio after a gig. When we were in the studio, they were playing bacardi beats. I was vibing, and I said, “This sounds likeJika’Ma’jika.

It just came out naturally. They told me to jump onto the mic, and Bongani also helped compose some of the lyrics and the direction of the song.

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