LWAZI: INSPIRING HOPE THROUGH MUSIC

Born and bred in Manzini, Magaya, whose real name is Lwazi has always had a passion for music and the arts as he tells STYLE that he grew up listening to music on his father’s radio. 

“From time to time, my father would shout at me for switching it on in the middle of the night,” he shared. 

Growing up, Magaya said he always found himself hanging around in circles with people older than he was because they were well-disciplined and had a proper direction. 

He also attended the school choir and he shared that regardless of his love for music, he was once suspended from it for not attending practice lessons and that hurt him seriously, however, it taught him to take his gift and talent seriously in whatever situation he was in. 

“I’m a person who loves fun, entertainment, food, and I like keeping my circle small. I associate myself with people whose ambition exceeds the normal expectations and those who help me to level up,” continued Magaya.

Although he looks like a tough nut to crack, he is a softie on the inside with a heart of gold. 

“Magaya is not my real name because it is my surname; however, I chose to use it as my moniker because it is how I have grown up to be known. Wherever you go people refer to me as Magaya,” he said.

STYLE had the privilege to have a sit down and tell all exclusive with him as he shared candid details about his latest single titled ‘Doli’ and what love means to him.  

STYLE (S): How has your journey in the music business been since you started?

Lwazi Magaya (LM): It has been quite a long journey, if I remember well, I started recording music professionally in the year 2005, under Destiny Music and my first song was recorded by the legendary Ziyawa ka Zitha . It hasn’t been an easy journey, I started as a rapper and switched to kwaito as well as house music and as I continued trying to discover my inclination to music, I realised that I could sing. Through this, I learnt that I needed to have my own unique style in order to get a deeper connection with my audience as well as to understand the emotions in music. I prefer not to be classified under one specific genre as I do both dance and afro pop. The journey in my music career has not been easy, but surrounding myself with people whose dreams, desires and ambitions are aligned with mine has always helped me to push and realise my own even in hard times when I felt like giving up. 

S: What are some of your biggest highlights through your journey?

LM: I have some of the best highlights and moments in my music career such as winning the ‘Best Kwaito Artist’ award in 2017 and I also got to share the stage and went into studio with big artists. 

S: What lessons have you come out with as you continue with your music career? 

LM: From a place of deep understanding and knowledge combined with a series of life experiences, I can assure you that love truly can and does conquer. The power of genuine and heartfelt love is by far the greatest feeling or place you could ever allow yourself to get into and the key to every dreamer is listening, understanding and learning. When you listen to what people say you learn a lot, when you learn a lot you understand if it’s right or wrong. Basically I’m saying it’s all about listening and then filtering out what is not relevant to your specific goal. Stop chasing money and fame and start chasing the passion. Passion is what gets you started and it’s what will keep you going. Without passion your goals become unfulfilled dreams. You give up without knowing why.

S: What keeps you going as an artist?

LM: Loving what I do keeps me going and fired up all the time, I think in every aspect of life as human beings we should not touch or do something with half of our hearts. Music is a beautiful thing to me and it makes me see the world in a very beautiful way. Well challenges are always there, you can never run away from them, whether you’re a musician, sportsman or in any other industry, challenges will forever be there therefore it’s a matter of knowing how we confront them and a true winner embraces each challege. yet overcoming them is what life is all about.

S: How do you feel about this song, will it influence or inspire people?

LM: The year 2020 has been a very tough pill to swallow in more ways than one, everyone is filled with thoughts of fear and worry, I’m not going to exclude myself and what the year has taught me, we are all in the same ship, but what I can say is that everything will be back to normal soon enough. Through this song I hope people will get to relax and forget about their fears, while they embrace being in love. The songs we listen to can change the way we see the world. My life experiences inspired me to write the song, I realised how beautiful it is to love and to be loved in return. And I wanted to share this beautiful feeling with the rest of the world. That’s what inspired me to write the song. When I composed the song ‘Doli’ I was inspired by the power of love and I also saw how loving a person could change you and change them as well.

S: Are there any new artists you have collaborated with this year?

LM: Yes I have few collaborations to announce but only when the time is right. I’m also looking forward to collaborating with more emaSwati artists and sharing ideas to heal the wounds and bring a warm glow to people through music.

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