Samz-ae on the rise in the music industry
“I love writing music because it helps me express and deal with my emotions. I know I can fully express myself through my music.”
Samantha Erasmus, known professionally as Samz-ae, is a young singer and songwriter on the rise from Edenvale.
Making waves in the local trap, hip-hop and rap industry her career kicked off in 2018 with the support of DJ duo Voltrex, after releasing of her first single Party.
Soon thereafter, she released her debut extended play album and two singles Mario Kartz and Love Song, in the first year of her career.
In 2019, Samantha joined RISE Academy where she established a strong working relationship with hip-hop artists Breeze and 808.
The pair have since become her mentors and started producing music for her.
Under their guidance and her voice coach Xanilee Hammond, Samantha started producing tracks set to be released soon.
“I joined RISE because I wanted to learn about how the industry works and gain experience from all of the lessons and performances on offer,” said Samantha.
Although Samantha enjoys singing adult contemporary and pop, her favourite genre is rap and hip-hop.
Samantha’s keen interest in the music industry started with dancing when she was four-years-old when she started ballet.
“After ballet, I pursued freestyle which I was passionate about.”
Seeing their daughter’s passion, Samantha’s parents encouraged her to try tap and modern dancing.
Samantha’s progression from dancing to instruments occurred when she was five-years-old when she started piano lessons and then drumming lessons at the age of eight-years-old.
After taking up the drums, Samantha decided to focus on them and is studying for her Rockschool Grade Five exam.
Passion for music runs in her family. Her late father pursued a career as a DJ in his younger years and hosted his events in Durban under the name ‘Footsteps’.
Despite her dad’s death in 2017 Samantha feels that he is always with her and said he helped her get through a lot.
“My dad was a patient man, he taught me how to ride a bike and play netball, so when he died it broke me,” explained Samantha.
Samantha who writes her own lyrics often expresses her life experiences and lessons through her music.
She believes expressing herself has helped her to overcome some major challenges, to stay positive and determined to succeed.
“I love writing music because it helps me express and deal with my emotions. I know I can fully express myself through my music,” she says.
Besides wanting a career in music Samantha hopes to one day own and run her own business.
