Cape Town Gqom DJ, Simphiwe Sihawu popularly known by his stage name, Mr Thela will be playing at his first international gig in South Korea, this March. This gig landed on his lap just three months after releasing his 1st solo project ‘Tronics Land Series 1’ in November 2022.
On this great milestone, the DJ and producer had this to say:
“I’m extremely excited about this gig. It will be my first time out of the country, let alone first time playing internationally. It’s like a dream come true. Those that know me from where I come from, know that I’ve always told them that one day I will play internationally and now that is all coming true. Thank you to my team and management. I hope this is the first of many international gigs.”
Believe it or not, this crowd pleaser grew up a pastors kid, his love for music started at church while playing the keyboard. “When I started producing, I started infusing the Gqom sound with my keyboard or should I say church vibes and people loved it and that’s why today we have a sound called Cape Town Gqom/Gqom Gospel/Church Grooves,” proclaimed the DJ.
Mr Thela is known for being part of the collaborative album “Make Cape Town Great Again” released in the thick of lockdown in 2020 with former business partner, Mshayi. He worked closely with the Dj and entrepreneur and was signed under his record label, Shaya Records. However, there have been rumours that the pair had parted ways but neither of them confirmed or denied the rumours.
“The rumours are true, I’m no longer part of Shaya Records, but there is no bad blood between Mshayi and I, although me not being part of Shaya Records has strained our relationship but one had to move on. There is a lot that happened, which I would not like to disclose. We’ve had our ups and downs over the years, working with Shaya Records, it’s been good and bad just like any business or record label. That chapter is closed and I wish them well,” declared the DJ.
He has since established his own record label, TRONICS LAND and is signed under it.
Mr Thela will perform in Seoul and Songtan South Korea in March.
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