Isidingo’s Motlatsi Mafatshe is now a music man
HE’S one of the most recognised faces in the country as the man who portrays Sechaba in Isidingo. But after playing the scheming character for 10 years, actor Motlatsi Mafatshe (36) hopes fans will get to know him for another one of his talents: making music. He recently released a single, Thando.
MUSIC MAN
It’s not the first time he’s ventured into music. In 2012 he shared a stage with US superstar Usher at his show at Orlando Stadium after beating dozens of competitors vying for the opening spot.
Music is a beast that keeps calling him, Motlatsi tells us.
“She’ll keep you up at night, she’ll haunt you until you heed the call. I’ve been cheating on music with acting for a long time, so now I’m going back to my first love. I’m cheating on acting with music now.”
He has a strong musical foundation. “My mother was in a church singing group and they often had rehearsals at our home.”
He caught the music bug early on and formed a group called Revelation with friends. “We sang in churches and the girls loved us,” he recalls, “but we also had some really bad performances.”
DOING IT WITH LOVE
Motlatsi continued to pursue music in his tertiary phase and earned his honours degree from Afda, majoring in musical performance, in 2006. What he wants SA to hear now is his bare heart. “I’m vulnerable now. I come to people as I am, saying this is me. I hope they receive me as I am.” He’s doing it with the full backing of his fashion designer and stylist wife, Millicent Nkangane (32). “She’s been incredibly supportive of my craft. She’s present as a partner, sharing the costs and keeping us stylish on stage.” He’s the first artist signed to his own record label, Black Urban Records. The title of his upcoming debut album hasn’t been confirmed yet, but he can tell us that the Afro-soul record will drop in February 2020. For now, he’s focused on promoting his single.
He says there couldn’t be a better ode to the year the country has had than the song Thando, which means “love”. “The word is pretty selfexplanatory.
We’ve gone through a lot this year as a country and that’s something everyone to some extent can relate to. From the violent killings of females by men, to job losses . . . “We’ve become so angry as a people. With this song I’m saying, as we go in to the New Year, let’s do so with love. “We always make resolutions about things we want to change and do each year, but with the coming year let’s approach it with love – because it’s the essence of how we all got to be here.”
-Move
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