South African singer-songwriter Rowlene has laid bare a deeply personal frustration, describing what she says has been an eight-month battle to get paid for a gig she completed late last year.
In a tearful Instagram video, the performer said she reached a breaking point after repeatedly trying to sort the issue out privately, only to find that her efforts didn’t lead to a resolution.
“If you knew me, you would know that I don’t usually do this, but I’m out of options,” she said.
She added that the situation has left her questioning whether something is wrong with her own business approach—or whether other people simply fail to understand how their actions can ripple out and hurt someone else.
Rowlene explained that the booking in question happened in October. She says she carried out her part of the agreement, yet she has allegedly still not received payment for the work.
To try to settle the matter amicably, she claimed she also made concessions, including proposing a lower fee and outlining a plan for staged payments.
“I tried to work out a payment plan. I even said they don’t have to pay me the full amount because I know I didn’t sell all the tickets,” she said. “It just feels so disrespectful.”
The singer further revealed that the dispute has now escalated to the point where she has had to bring in legal help, describing the process as both emotionally draining and financially heavy.
“My lawyer is handling it, but now it’s money that I don’t have that I’m going to have to use to get back money that I worked hard for,” she said. “Please tell me what I’m supposed to do.”
In her caption, Rowlene expanded on how the ordeal has affected her, pointing to her long-standing career in music and the way this disagreement has shaken her self-belief.
“As someone who wakes up at 5 am in the morning to make sure I’ve checked all the boxes, as someone who’s done this for 10 years, I still feel like I failed myself over something that’s beyond my control,” she wrote.
She also spoke about the wider obstacles artists face—especially those still building their footing in a tough industry.
“If this is happening to me, I can only imagine smaller artists trying to navigate this industry,” she added. “My heart is just broken.”
Rowlene said she spent months trying to reclaim the money before deciding to address the matter publicly.
“Unfortunately, even after begging for eight months, yeah, I don’t know,” she wrote.
Despite the emotional strain, she made it clear she remains committed to her career and to continuing to make music.
“Still trying to make music, guys,” she said. “I just wanna sing and feed my cat, but life’s just making it so impossible.”
