Table View DJ Simphiwe Sihawu, who goes by the stage name Mr Thela, is set to do a headline show in South Korea later this month.
The 23-year-old was born in Crossroads and raised by his grandparents in Gugulethu but later moved with his parents to Samora Machel, Philippi. He now lives in Table View.
“A lot of people seem to be surprised by my age, but I’m a 90s baby,” he jokes.
“I grew up in Samora and as a pastor’s child, it wasn’t easy. People were always watching out for whatever mistakes you could make, but luckily for me, I was never naughty. I grew up in church, I was a keyboard player in church, so music is something that I grew up loving, especially singing. I used to love singing in my childhood.”
He says even though his parents were strict, he had a great childhood.
“I had to be home by 6pm every day including weekends. It wasn’t just a curfew, it was a tradition, I needed to be home for our evening prayer service and Bible session before dinner.”
The middle child of three, with an older sister and younger brother, he drew musical inspiration from DJ Black Coffee.
“He’s my role model. All those that I grew up with would call me ‘Coffee was kasi’ (our local Black Coffee). That’s how much he influenced me. Funny enough, I never wanted to be a DJ before. I wanted to be a pilot.”
His parents were not too keen on him going into the music industry, he says.
“They didn’t like it because this meant I have to go to gigs at night, and I’m no longer going to be making the 6pm curfew. My mom did not like it at all because of her being a pastor. Even my grandparents despised it. Once they found out that I was a DJ that became a problem, but as time went by, they really saw that this is my calling and this is what I want to do.”
He says he picked up much of what he knows from others in his neighbourhood and from playing sets at Afro Lounge, a club in Samora Machel.
In 2021, he was nominated for “best gqom album” at the South African Music Awards for the platinum-selling Make Cape Town Great Again. He collaborated on that album with musicians Mshayi and T-Man.
In November last year, released his first solo album, Tronics Land Series 1.
Last Friday, he released a track featuring Nobantu Vilakazi, titled IMali. He plans to release a second solo album, Tronics Land Series 2, and work with more artists this year.
Speaking about his upcoming show in Seoul, South Korea, he says he is very excited because it will be his first time out of the country.
“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”.