South African export singer-songwriter and producer, Mars Baby (real name Jesse Meintjies) has announced the release of his new single, “Forgiving You”.
The song is the second release from his debut 9-track album, “Handsome Luke & The Heartbreakers”, which is set to be released on February 7, 2025.
“Forgiving You” was released on Friday, November 8, and comes hot on the heels of his single, “Spotlight”, which dropped in October.
“Forgiving You” is a heartfelt ode to family, reconciliation and personal growth.
He shared that this is one of his favourite songs off the album.
“It’s very personal to me. ‘Forgiving You’ is about my family. We haven’t always seen eye to eye.
“But when you look back on all the things that went right, the sacrifices your family made, the issues that seemed so big when you were younger start to shrink away. Forgiving them is actually easy.”
Born and raised between the US and Cape Town, Baby’s artistic journey is a testament to the blend of cultural experiences that shape his identity.
His unique sound fuses punk rock, pop and R&B to create a melody that is universally appealing.
“Growing up, I moved around a lot, both in the US and Cape Town. Now that I’m living my dream as a musician, I’m happy, but I still don’t feel like I have deep roots.
“It’s a transitory lifestyle that can be lonely but also fun. I tried to capture both sides of that in my upcoming album,” he said.
Other songs on the upcoming album include “Bleeding”, “For You”, “Break Free”, “So American”, “Be My Gun”, “Me Too” and “Stay”, which features multi-South African Music Awards nominee, lordkez.
Rising talents Hannah Ray and O’Hara also feature on the album.