Robyn-Beth Cloete Turns Mental Health Struggles Into Music With ‘Amy’

Bethe infront of
the wall of fame 

For Robyn Beth Cloet, music has always been more than just sound. It has been a way to process difficult experiences, understand herself and, ultimately, remind others that they are not alone. The Beyond Busking artist is preparing to release her new single; Amy, on 30 October 2026. At the heart of the song is a simple question: who is Amy? The answer is not as straightforward as it might seem.

The idea for Amy dates back to Bethe's school years, when she was part of a band that was still trying to figure out what to call itself. One of the names suggested was “Finding Amy”, and Bet was asked to write a song for the band. She started writing it, but the band eventually broke up before they could perform the song. The idea remained with her for years until she became involved with the Beyond Busking project and returned to the unfinished song.

What began as a song written for a high school band eventually developed into something much more personal. Bethe explained that the name “Amy” comes from a play on the words “Hey, me” — almost like having a conversation with yourself.

The song draws from her own experiences with mental health and the idea of changing the way we speak to ourselves. Instead of talking to yourself in a way that is harsh or negative, Bethe explained the idea of speaking to yourself with the same kindness you would give to someone you love. “Amy” therefore becomes another person in the conversation — a way of talking to herself while creating some distance from those difficult thoughts.

Bethe & Unathi the host.

Bethe began writing Amy during a period when she was struggling with her mental health in high school and university. At the time, she says, mental health was not something openly discussed in her circles. Some people around her did not know how to respond, while others dismissed mental health struggles as attention-seeking or something that was not real. As a result, Bethe often found herself dealing with those experiences alone.

That experience eventually found its way into Amy, which she describes as a song about encouraging yourself to keep going, particularly during those mornings when getting out of bed feels difficult, but something inside you says to try anyway.

For Bethe, one of the biggest messages she hopes listeners take from the song is simple: you are not alone. She acknowledges that conversations around mental health have become more open in South Africa since she first started writing the song in 2016. However, she believes there is still a particular loneliness experienced by people of colour who struggle with their mental health. That is one of the reasons representation is important to her.

Bethe @bushradio front desk  

When Bethe was going through her own struggles, much of the music and art she found around mental health came from Europe and the United States. She wanted to see people who looked like her talking about similar experiences. “I wasn't really interacting with those people. I was interacting with black and coloured people,” she explained. Yet she did not always see those experiences represented in the creative spaces she was looking towards for comfort. For Bethe, creating music became an opportunity to contribute to that representation.

She recognises that the conversation has changed and that more black and coloured artists are now openly exploring mental health through music, visual art and other creative forms. But she believes there is still room for more African perspectives. Her own music is part of that attempt.

Bethe describes her sound as “emo African”, drawing from alternative, dark pop and cinematic influences while bringing in elements of her South African musical background. She grew up listening to different forms of South African music, including Kwaito, Gqom and Deep house, while also drawing inspiration from movie soundtracks and alternative pop. For her, alternative music is constantly evolving, and she wants to contribute an African perspective to that evolution.

Bethe after the interview
in studio

Bethe believes there are already many African artists experimenting with sounds that could fit within this space, particularly in Cape Town and Johannesburg's creative communities. The challenge, she says, is that there is not yet a strong connection or definition bringing those artists together. Her hope is that “emo African” can eventually develop into a recognised genre.

Bethe was selected as one of eight artists for the 2026 Beyond Busking programme, a four-month development journey that helped her move from simply making music to understanding herself as a professional artist. Working with producer Ebrahim Maloum was an important part of that process.

Bethe says entering a professional studio and working alongside someone who had worked with award-winning artists gave her a significant confidence boost. Being treated as an equal in that environment helped her see herself differently. “I feel like I'm an actual artist,” she said. The programme also taught her to look at her creative work through a business lens.

Bethe says one of the biggest lessons was understanding that art can be treated as a business and that an artist is providing a service. "For someone who is passionate about economics and financial sustainability, this was particularly important." she mentioned. “I refuse to be a starving artist,” she said. The programme gave her practical knowledge and resources that she believes are often missing from the journey of emerging artists.

Bethe's development has also included performing at several venues and events, including the V&A Waterfront, Canal Walk Mainstage and Comic Con Africa. She also reached the top four of the 2026 KFM Galaxy K-Day competition. Rather than viewing these achievements as the end of a journey, Bethe sees every performance as preparation for the next one.

She admits that she can be highly self-critical when performing, focusing on whether she hit every note correctly. But performing on larger stages has also taught her to find a balance between technical performance and allowing herself to feel the music. Performing at the V&A Waterfront was particularly meaningful. She had always wanted to perform there, and seeing a full audience in front of her was an emotional moment. For Bethe, the challenge now is not simply to perform well, but to remain genuine while doing so.“I want to show the feeling,” she said.

Through Beyond Busking, Bethe also had the opportunity to perform alongside the other artists in the programme. After four months of working, studying and training together, she says sharing the stage with the other artists was an honour. It was also an opportunity to perform Amy in its properly produced form and show the people who had invested time and resources into her development what she had created with that support. For Bethe, that moment represented more than simply performing a new song. It was a chance to see the progress she had made as an artist.

The conversation also touched on artificial intelligence and its growing role in music. Bethe does not completely reject AI-generated music. With a background in technology, she sees AI as something that will continue to develop, much like the internet did. However, she believes regulation is necessary. For her, AI-generated music should be clearly distinguished from music created by human artists, rather than having the two treated as exactly the same thing. She also raised questions around how AI technology is developed and its wider environmental impact, arguing that there are ways to build and regulate the technology so that people can benefit from it without ignoring its consequences. For Bethe, the issue is therefore not simply whether AI should exist, but how it is developed, regulated and incorporated into creative industries.

At its heart, Amy is a conversation with oneself. It comes from Bethe's own experiences with mental health, but she hopes listeners can find their own meaning in it. Her music brings together personal experiences, South African influences and alternative sounds while creating space for conversations about mental health and representation. With Amy set to be released on 30 October 2026, Robin Beth Cloet is introducing listeners to a sound she describes as “emo African” — and to a song that began years ago as an unfinished idea before becoming part of her own journey as an artist.

For Bethe, the message remains clear: even when things feel lonely, you do not have to go through them alone.

Written by Unathi Ngomana.