Emerging London-born folk artist Seth Tabatznik has spent the past few years navigating a profound personal and creative transformation. In 2024, after facing health challenges, he stepped back from his leadership roles at Be The Earth Foundation and 42 Acres to slow down, reconnect with nature, and embrace a more intentional way of living. From this shift emerged his debut album When The Wind Rests, a body of work rooted in stillness and renewal. Now based in South Africa’s Western Cape mountains, Seth’s acoustic folk and medicine music carry a deep reverence for the earth, blending soulful harmonies and lyrical sincerity shaped by mentors Nick Mulvey and Rainer Scheurenbrand. Following sold-out shows in London and Cape Town and over 100,000 streams since his 2024 debut, he returns with ‘Choose To Be Alive’, out now via Moth Music, a heartfelt, flute-laced ode to gratitude, presence, and the beauty of being alive. The stirring track premiered on renowned tastemaker CLASH Magazine.
Read our exclusive interview with the introspective artist below.
Paint us a picture: what sparked your passion for the arts in the first place? Was there a single moment or experience that solidified your decision to pursue this path?
I’ve always loved playing music around the fire and for friends, but it wasn’t until a mountain retreat that something shifted. A friend asked me how much time I gave to music. “Maybe 1–2%,” I said. He looked at me and asked, “What if you gave it ten times that?” Around the same time, some health challenges had opened up space in my life, and I finally leaned in. Within months, my first album was born.
When you create, what leads the way – a feeling, a story, or the sound itself?
Songs come to me in different ways, but they are always feeling led. They often come in moments I least expect. I catch the seeds of a song, and then grow and form it over time. Other times, I will intentionally go sit in the forest with a pen and paper and a guitar, start playing around and then just see what wants to happen!
What’s in your toolkit? Share the gear, gadgets, or software you can’t create without.
I’m quite oldschool in how I create as I’m not that technical nor do I have a strong music theory. To write music its usually me, a guitar, a shruti box and my voice. Then I go into the studio and that’s where songs really start to come alive, adding instruments and vocal harmonies.
What’s your go-to ritual or trick for getting into the creative zone?
The creative zone always exists in space and time. I just need to carve it out and switch off any distractions. That’s why I go to the forest, to be away from other people or technology as well as to bring in other elements of wind, sun, the sounds of birds and insects, they all help me to bring a song to life and by guiding me with their music.
My other answer is that I love micro-dosing with psilocybin and this is another tool I often use to open up my channels.
What’s the one item you always keep within arm’s reach while creating or performing?
I always need something to write or record with, so often its as simple as having a phone and using voice notes.
How did you ultimately end up defining your sound?
I think a sound is like a personality. Just like birds of the same species, but in different part of the world, have different accents, I too have my own unique sound based on where I grew up, the music I was born into (mostly a mix of 60s folk with some 90s pop), and the energy and feeling I’m looking to contribute into the world.
How has your creative process or perspective shifted since you started your journey?
I’d never been to a professional music studio nor played with such a range of musicians before this latest album. I’m now able to write songs that are more like the trellis of a plant, holding the structure and direction, but letting the creative beauty flow inside that is really what makes a song feel complete.
Walk us through a recording session: what’s the most memorable moment you’ve had in the studio?
I’m still a student of the recording process, so I often come in unprepared and let the flow of the moment move the direction of the song. I also work with an incredible producer and love to bounce ideas around so flexibility works well in this instance.
One of my favourite moments was re-recording ‘Pacha Mama’. We had spent the afternoon recording the track and laying down all my parts. I went home and listened and it just wasn’t feeling right. When I came in the next day I asked if I could re-record it live without a click track as it needed to flow more. I nailed it in one take and its on the new album.
Are there any unexpected or dream collaborations hidden in your work?
Ok, a slightly weird answer…so I’m slightly obsessed with Dr. Joe Dispenza as his meditations and philosophy have had a huge influence on my life over the last 18 months. I was at a retreat recently and we had a live performance meditation and I kept picturing myself supporting the healing, the transformation of thousands of people using the frequency of sound and voice to support people into a higher state of consciousness.
Any side projects you’re working on?
All of my work is connected. I’m a big believer (and actor) in new systems, new economies and raising our human consciousness. I have dedicated the last 10 years of my life to transitioning wealth back into the earth and towards stewards of the earth, where wealth all came from and where it needs to return, as well as working on my own spiritual development and creating spaces and platforms for others to do the same.
I would say that’s my whole project, of which music is a part, but not apart.
Who’s an emerging artist you think deserves more recognition right now?
One of the songs on my album is a cover of a Nick Barber song, originally named: ‘Heart’s Mystery’. Nick is an incredible writer and composer and his music is deeply authentic.
What’s the strangest or most surprising song currently on your playlist?
I have 2 young kids so I listen to a lot of their music, which you have learn to love. The song we all love to hear is from Encanto: The Family Madrigal, which is actually quite brilliant both lyrically and musically, especially in the context of the movie!
Which song, album or playlist do you never get sick of no matter how many times you listen to it?
There are actually many albums I’m happy to re-listen to, but the one that springs to mind is the 2002 Tracy Chapman Album: Let It Rain. It’s one for a more sombre mood, the feeling is deep and I’m a huge Tracy Chapman fan!
Are there any unexpected hobbies or projects you’re exploring outside of your main work?
I love feeling healthy, so for me this means gardening and cooking are a must so I can feel connected to my food, which is a large part of what makes me!
I also love trail running and living in the mountains has been such a blessing, with running being another excuse to get me out into nature.
If your life and career were an album, what would its title be, and what’s the hidden track only your fans would know?
Ooh, good question…
What comes to me is: Journeying through optimism
With the hidden track being ‘Used to be more wild and fun’
Give us a glimpse into the future – what surprises or milestones are coming up for you this year?
My new album: Awakening Embers, is out in Feb 2026 and I’m starting to plan some shows in South Africa and the UK.
I have a singing circle also in the Cape Winelands that we host every month that grounds me in community and looking to see if I can bring more of this energy into my shows.
Famous last words?
I always say that life is lived forwards and understood backwards, so only time will tell why I’ve recently been called so strongly down a musical path!
Follow Seth Tabatznik:
Website – Instagram – Facebook – Soundcloud – TikTok – Youtube – Spotify
