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Afro-fusion songstress Siphokazi Mohapi has a musical career spanning almost two decades. Born in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape, her songs are rooted in traditional Xhosa rhythms and harmonies.
This Academy of Sound Engineering alumnus describes the sound of her music as Afro-fusion and Afro-jazz. She loves fusing different genres like Maskandi, gospel, jazz, and R&B in her music, using words to tell a story. She is known as a powerful lyricist with a passion for fusing different languages in a song or across an album.
Besides being inspired by people that she admires, she believes that she was given her voice for a reason. Over the years, the feedback she has received from people who have been touched by her music has instilled in her the message that her music heals. This motivates and drives her to make a positive impact on society and address social issues through her music.
In 2007, her debut album, ‘Ubuntu Bam’, was well-received, going on to sell almost 100,000 units. She went on to win a SAMA for Best Newcomer and Best African Adult Contemporary album that year. She followed that success with her second album in 2008 called ‘Ndinovuyo’ and in 2010 her third ‘Ethembeni’. In the subsequent years, she released several singles, followed by a self-titled album in 2018 and a single in 2020.
Her career has seen her gain widespread industry recognition. Mohapi has won several awards, including two SAMAs, three Metros, one SATMA, and one ECMA, as well as receiving a KORA All Africa Music Award nomination.
Much of her motivation stems from her religious beliefs. Still today, she wants to learn as much as possible from different people, including her peers, her family, and the elderly.
She also wants to continuously improve her vocal techniques and expand her creative boundaries. Part of this sees her wanting to conduct practical training based on what she has learned at the Academy of Sound Engineering. Specifically, she wants to focus on live sound engineering and studio production.
Her advice for anyone looking to join the music industry is to develop their craft by continuously working on improving their vocal skills, and performance abilities, and becoming educated. She also recommends that people find their own unique voice and to understand their contracts well.
For her, the quality of work and information provided by the Academy of Sound Engineering showed her the importance of always learning, especially as the industry continues evolving. It was especially her knowledge of the business side of music, learned at the Academy of Sound Engineering, that has grown to include music marketing, copyright law, contract negotiations, and financial management.