AMAPIANO producer Soa Mattrix has worked hard to become one of Mzansi's biggest hitmakers.
From coming up in Diepkloof, Soweto, to delivering chart-topping records such as Mina Nawe, Idlozi Lami, and Umama Akekho, the award-winning DJ and producer said his journey has been defined by persistence, pressure, and trusting audiences to choose his biggest moments.
Looking back on his journey in the music industry, Soa Mattrix, whose real name is Mandla Mashakeni, told Daily Sun that it hasn't been an easy road.
"It wasn't easy. It was full of ups and downs. At some point, I feel like every artist goes through this. It gets to a point where, when things aren't working out for some time, you get that feeling of giving up.
"But if you're a very spiritual person like me and you pray and you talk to yourself, because the only way to give yourself power is to speak life and positivity into yourself. I think that's going to save you. But for me, I'd say it wasn't easy. But we are here now, and we are still going forward," he said.
He admitted that success has brought expectations, but he has learnt to manage them by focusing inward rather than outward comparison.
"I do have a little pressure because it's not a pressure of maybe my song needs to be better than someone else's song. It's a pressure that I need to compete with myself to say, okay, whenever I jump into studio, if I do five songs, one of those songs has to be bigger than the previous big song that I released," he said.
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The Soweto-born producer said his focus now is on continued growth and evolution in his sound as he prepares to release a 15-track album.
"It's people who know music. It's good people who know music. Some you may know, but some you may not know because I believe so much in working with new people who have a different energy.
"The album itself is going to be a good one. I can disclose the number of songs that are going to be on the album, which is 15 songs, but I can't share who's going to be on the album," Soa Mattrix added.
