By: Natasha Archary
South African artist Sjava reflects on his latest album “Isibuko” on The Ultimate Kaya 959 Top 30 with DJ Keyez.
The 38-year old artist whose real name is Jabulani Hadebe began his career in 2005.
Leaving Bergville to make a move to Johannesburg after his mom and dad decided to part ways, Sjava who always had a passion for music said he had no dreams of becoming a top performing artist.
But, life had other plans for the Impilo hitmaker, who then delved into music after matric.
“That’s when I started taking things seriously, but the mood was different because uMama was not having it. Then my dad got me a job at Steers but I knew I had to do this.
At home they were not with it, they were not supporting it. Even after my first song, they didn’t believe anything was going to come of it. It took time, really it’s only now that uMama is like okay, she can see my far-fetched dream.”
WATCH: Sjava reflecting on his new album “Isibuko”
Eighteen years later, Sjava is celebrating his new album hitting over 7.7 million streams.
It’s been less than a week, but Sjava is already overwhelmed by the response to his latest album.
For the humble artist however, the number of views or streams isn’t what drives his ambitions as an artist.
“That’s not what my focus is, the music that I’m putting out there is not about the likes, views or streams. It’s not about the numbers.
For me it’s about the people that I am making music for an how they feel when they listen to my songs.
It takes time to perfect the flow, to get the songs just right. Some songs I’ve been working on for years. People at home may be listening and say, wow he made it sound so easy to write a hit.
No, it’s not. The process to perfect something can take years, it something I never take lightly.”
Sjava on what drives him as an artist
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