WATCH: Yahto Kraft turns heartbreak into triumph with his debut single 'UGLY'
The Voice South Africa season 3 contestant, Yahto Kraft has released a powerful debut single - watch the lyric video below.
The name YAHTO KRAFT is once again on everyone’s lips, the 19-year-old released his powerful debut single Ugly on Friday, and it's inspiring message has captured the attention of South Africans.
The single, with strong pop and rock elements and a catchy beat, was written by Yahto and Matthew Marinus back in 2016 when he was just 16 years old. The singer took an experience of heartbreak and turned it on its head, writing a song that is fast becoming an anthem of sorts for those who have been downtrodden and victimized.
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The song encourages people to believe that “you are enough” and it gives us all a sense of hope and inspiration to live to fight another day.
On the song's inspiration, Yahto recalls an incident that happened when he was 16.
“I was going out with friends and we were doing things we definitely were not supposed to and kissing people we weren't supposed to. It just so happened that the boy I kissed was my crush for the longest time, so I was absolutely on top of the world!"
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"The next weekend we decided to do it all over again, and I thought he and I were going to turn into one of those couples you see in a movie but, alas, it flipped and went from a cheesy rom-com to a horror movie.
"When I tried to kiss him again, he just looked at me and said: "Dude, I was desperate and gone, you're not my type, you're fat and ugly."
He continues to explain that following this incident his heart was absolutely shattered.
"I went home and put my feelings into words. Thus, Ugly was born. I took this raw piece of work to the incredible Matthew Marinus and he helped fine-tune my lyrics into an actual song," he added.
WATCH THE LYRIC VIDEO HERE:
It’s a song about taking back your power
In creating the song Yahto explains that him and Marinus set out to create this song for people to relate to it.
"This song now sounds exactly like it does in my dreams. It makes you feel nostalgic, with its glam rock flicks, yet it is completely new and now. It has some Queen in it, some David Bowie, some Alanis Morisette, some Janis Joplin, some The Darkness, but a whole lot of Yahto."
It's massive, it's raw, it dares you to look your heartbreak right between the eyes and say ‘You don't scare me anymore’. It’s not about my singular experience anymore, I don’t think it ever was.
The Voice South Africa
During the third season of The Voice South Africa, Yahto joined “Team Lira” where he placed 6th overall. He took the reality singing competition to new heights becoming a firm favourite among viewers.
Watch his original audition here: