Challenges Faced By SA’s Most Popular Celebs Before Making It Big (Part 2)
Vusi Nova
“Firstly, self confidence. For the level of performance that is required of me, I had to get over my shyness. and fast! Also, having to deal with negative publicity and criticism, and trying to remain composed amidst all of that is draining. I had to develop a coping mechanism which is working out quite well I might add. I am still here.”
Reason
“Having enough people that give a damn, that was the hardest challenge and having to convince enough people and the right people to support the idea. Very often people make some of the best songs in the world and those songs are never heard because there’s not enough support. It’s taken me a lot of time to actually get to a point where people accept my songs. It was a big challenge , especially convincing media that my work is just as good. There was no doubt in my mind that the music we did was good and was perfect at the time. But it was never discovered on a large scale, it was either one radio station, a hip hop show or even one or two people playing it.”
Berita
“Well lack of knowledge was my main challenge. I knew nothing about the industry , I didn’t understand the structure and how things work. As a result I was taken advantage of. I remember one particular incident before I recorded my first album where I went and performed at a community heritage event and months later found out that I had been head hunted and the organizers had been given a budget for me. But I hadn’t known that I was supposed to be paid I was doing it purely because of passion.”
Ntsiki Mazwai
“lol! MANY! 1stly poetry is not a big genre in south Africa, so making it a financially viable source of income takes some SERIOUS acrobatics, faith and focus. It is not a steady life which can be frightening at times. However at other times the spontaneous nature of my work is like living Heaven On Earth. Also having a ‘famous family’ works against me. I’m either Thami Mazwai daughter or Thandiswa’s sister……and I just want to be Ntsiki Mazwai. I love my family, but I don’t like having to work 500 times harder than other children for half the recognition they get.”
