Who is Msawawa the South African Kwaito Singer and Where is He Now?

Msawawa is a South African Kwaito music artist who rose to fame at the age of nine in the late 1990s and early 2000s, becoming well known for his gospel hits like Bowungakanani, Hip Hop Kwaito, and The Prophecy, among others.

After leaving the music industry for over 15 years, Msawawa is back to continue his music career from where he stopped, but unfortunately, things have long changed since he left. However, he is doing what he can to revive his music career.

Msawawa Was Born In Durban

Msawawa was born in 1990 in his hometown Durban where he was also raised. Not much is known about his parents and siblings. However, what is known about his family is that it was a family of four, and he was the only boy.

His parents were most likely supportive of his music career and helped him manage his career and finances as a child. He is yet to reveal details about his current level of education and the schools he attended for his basic and tertiary education.

Msawawa Released His First Hit Track At Age 9

With a lot about Msawawa still unknown, the circumstances in his early life that spurred his love for music and the Kwaito genre, in particular, are unknown. However, as early as the age of eight, Msawawa’s singing talent was discovered by Bulldawgz Entertainment, and it has been reported that he released his first hit track at the age of nine.

Msawawa’s fame increased across South Africa in 2001 when he released the album “The Hurricane of Bowngakanani.” He went on to release other popular albums which contained several hit tracks. But just when South Africans may have been thinking that a next-generation music star had been born, Msawawa faded into obscurity.

It is reported that considering his age at the time he became famous, the young Msawawa was unable to handle the weight of fame he had amassed. Rumors started flying around that he was broke, and surprisingly, he disappeared from the music scene.

List of Msawawa’s Songs

While Msawawa was active in the entertainment industry, he released a good number of songs that blessed the hearts of South Africans. Some of his songs include:

• Igovu
• Imamba
• The Prophecy
• Phants Phezulu
• Intro Cell Phone
• Uk’shisa
• Msawawa Bowungakanani
• Bhibo
• Sekele
• Sgidi
• Dlala baby
• Imoto ka shukela
• Hip-hop Kwaito
• Umuntu Omnyama Igovu
• Outro
• Idedele
• Abaningi

His short time in the industry earned him two awards, The Best Newcomers and Song of the Year Award, both from Metro Awards.

On Leaving Music, Msawawa Took to Crime

Fame and success had a negative impact on Msawawa as he dabbled in several vices. He was involved in fraudulent activities, violent behaviors, and all sorts of criminal habits as a teenager – he even dropped out of school. The fame he had gathered started to fade away, and he had to return and stay with his family in Durban.

There is no report of Msawawa returning to school or furthering his education at a tertiary institution. According to Msawawa, by going into gospel music, he answered his call from God to become a pastor. Many people don’t believe this, as they believe he got into music for fame and music.

But he was a child at that time and probably did not know what fame was all about, and he probably went into music because of sheer passion for the craft.

Msawawa Made His Come Back In 2018

In 2018, Msawawa decided to come back to the industry. Together with his friend Mzambiya, he released the track Imoto Ka Shukela. According to them, they had been waiting for the right time to have their big comeback in the entertainment industry.

However, the comeback was probably not as big as they envisaged as things were no longer as they used to be. And even Msawawa knew this. In his new song, rather than continuing with Kwaito music, he decided to switch to Amapiano, which raised a lot of dust.

Amapiano Reminds Him of Old School Kwaito

On returning to the music industry, it came as a surprise when instead of continuing with Kwaito, Msawawa decided to go with the trending genre, Amapiano. The fact that Amapiano was and still is the current trend in South Africa made many people think that he decided to follow the trend to revive his music career.

But, Msawawa has a contrary opinion. According to him, Amapiano reminds him of old Kwaito, and he loves the genre so much that it would be unfair for someone to think he switched to Amapiano to revive his career. Speaking about reviving his career, Msawawa does not think his career needs to be restored. According to him, people still love his music.

Msawawa Gets Mocked For No Longer Being Famous

Msawawa admitted to being mocked for being famous and losing his fame, but it comes as a surprise to him because he believes people still love his music. He also admits to having made some bad decisions in the past, but he has gone back to God, and God has given him the courage and strength to continue his career.

Msawawa is still a music artist and is on the road to reviving his career. Hopefully, he gets successful with his endeavor.

He Believes He Deserves A Lifetime Achievement Recognition

While people are mocking him and spreading the news about his career being dead, Msawawa is not moved by such allegations as he believes he is deserving of a lifetime recognition award. He is displeased that after being a part of the music industry for more than 20 years, he has received only two awards.

For him, it’s like his work in the industry is going unnoticed. His brother, Sandile Bhengu, has taken to Facebook to advocate for Msawawa, clearly stating that he deserves a big award and one day, he would give him an award. But unlike other awards, Bhemgu said, his award to Msawawa would be on the street where he is hustling.

Msawawa Is Married

After dating a lady known as Angela Gwala for two years, Msawawa made things official with her in 2015. He first paid her lobola as required by the tradition in 2013 before doing a white wedding in 2015. Their union has faced a lot of controversies, one of which is their age difference. As of 2013, when he paid her lobola, he was 25 years while his wife was 36. But it seems age has got nothing on their love.

Before their traditional wedding, it was rumored that Angela sent Msawawa out of their house after realizing he was sexually involved with her sister; however, he debunked the rumors. He stated that he had never had sexual involvement with his sister-in-law and that anyone spreading such a rumor is a ‘fool.’

He went on to say he has a house in Durban and was not thrown out of the house he shared with his then-fiancée, as they both had different houses. Angela Gwala also spoke out for Msawawa to clear the air about any sexual involvement with her sister.