Pabi Cooper Achieves Her Life Long Dream Of Being In The Sports Industry. Born Paballo Mothapo, Cooper started out as a dancer who performed at small scale concerts. Despite being noted as an entertaining dancer, the multi-talented musician believed there was more to her as a performer than just dancing. That’s when she shunned her imposter syndrome and embarked on a singing career that saw her collaborate with amapiano stars such as Focalistic and Ch’cco.
Just over a year ago, singer and dancer Pabi Cooper was the typical girl next door whose dreams were to become SA’s youngest soccer referee. The rising star’s passion for football was first sparked by her grandmother who taught her the ins and outs of soccer through their little television at home as a child. While soccer was what she and her grandmother used to bond over, little did Cooper know that later in her life she’d want to pursue it professionally by becoming a referee.
Pabi Cooper has always expressed her love for sports, even before becoming a musician. She posted that she has achieved her life ling dream of being a sports presenter, sharing that she is the new sports presenter for Good Morning Qatar. She also shared a screenshot from three years ago, asking popular Sultry SuperSport presenter Lindiwe Nxumalo now Dube, on how she can go about becoming a sports presenter. She thanked God for this dream come true. See tweet:
As she followed her passion and attained a certificate of being a qualified referee, her dreams came to a halt due to the pandemic, a hard knock that left Cooper scratching the surface of some of her talents that have solidified her in becoming the star she is today. “Fame for me wasn’t the plan. I mean, I only released my first song Isphithiphithi in August last year, so being known like this feels unreal but I am grateful. I’m from Soshanguve, north of Pretoria. It’s a known fact that people where I come from don’t usually make it in life – it’s either you fall pregnant quite young or become a junkie,” she said.
“I remember being told that I wouldn’t amount to anything because of how I used to conduct myself when I was 15. I’d often go out with my friend, not focusing enough on my school books… actually at that time, I thought I knew everything. I thought I was cool. Luckily I had a turning point in my life when I found my love for soccer two years later by being a goalkeeper,” she added.
