Working towards making his music dreams come true

One of the young up and coming local artists, Sandile Mdawe, was recently nominated in the best Hip Hop Artist category at the Mzansi Arts Media Awards. He believes this could be a stepping stone to a successful singing career.

Sandile who grew up in the Tsakane township on the East Rand and now lives in Krugersdorp said he had always wanted to be a rapper.

“I’ve always had a passion and love for music but I had no direction on how to pursue it,” he said. In 2011 he started making music after failing his matric year.

I decided to focus my full attention on the performing arts and it has been my thing ever since.”

He remembered that they used to perform for their parents when they were students, and his love of music came from his family.

“My dad would listen to kwaito and my mom would usually listen to gospel and R&B. I have many cousins and one of them, Veli Mbongiseni Mdakane taught me how to rap. He told us that he would hustle a record deal for us.”

Growing up, Sandile said his life revolved around art. In 2016 he started releasing a couple of singles and tracks online, and in 2018 he was signed under a Kagiso-established record label, Burning Force.

“Two years later I left the label and started my own, Bulldog Entertainment. I produced and recorded a mix tape of 12 tracks under my own label.”

Along the way there were obstacles that made his journey difficult. Losing loved ones and not being consistent enough to execute the work because he had to focus on putting food on the table were just some of the challenges.

“Time is my enemy and my friend. Knowing how to produce great melodies that will blend in with my voice is what makes it all worth it.”

You can vote for Sandile’s song The World is Yours to win by SMSing this number ‘2459’ to 47439. The winner will be announced on September 10. You can listen to his music @sanza808 on all social-media platforms.