Singer-songwriter Sofaya aspires to take people on a journey with her music
|Published
Performing artist, sister and lover. This is how singer-songwriter Sofaya describes herself.
The talented vocalist has been singing since she was young, entering school competitions and winning them. Her passion for music was instilled in church.
"I come from a musical family. The family is filled with singers, we are all vocally talented. I’m the first in my family to take it commercial and pursue that as a dream and a full-time career."
For a long time Sofaya has focused on working with other artists, lending her voice to many songs.
"When you're young you jump on to any track. It was fun and back then it had never been what I was going to pursue."
Sofaya initially pursued a career in law and worked in corporate, and it was only about nine years ago that she got the "monkey bite" to pursue singing. It was after she performed at the year-end function for the company she was working for that she finally decided to look into music as a full-time career.
"The band booked to perform didn't pitch and I offered my services. The MD asked me what I was doing working in corporate after that. I resigned nine months later, went to study at GIBS (the Gordon Institute of Business Science) to understand the business side, and just four months after resigning I got signed to Sony Music."
Before Robbie Malinga died, Sofaya had planned to work with him.
“I made it my quest to work with his partner, Mjakes Thebe, a big name in Afropop music. I found him online and saw who he was working with. I found his number and gave him a call. I’m currently in studio with him and he’s doing five of the tracks for my album. We are now 80% done with the album so I’m excited about that."
Her first single from the album is iMpumelelo and it is a declaration for the album.
"Impumelelo means ’success’. It’s a song to say from here on forward you have to declare your success, it’s not something where you wait for your industry to say you are successful. You don’t have to wait for the actual visibility of success. Once you start claiming it and see yourself walking in the shoes of success, the universe listens.”
Sofaya said her music was a catalyst for evoking emotions.
“Having the gift of music and song is magical. You can make people feel when they don’t know they want to feel. You can make people laugh and cry and take them to the deepest of their emotions, and that is really a great responsibility. It’s also a blessing. I try to write my music with the person of joy and love in mind. My calling is to remind you of love and take that expression out of you."
Her stage name, Sofaya, is a play on Sophiatown and the fire she has within her.
It has taken over her life.
“Everyone who knows me calls me Sofaya now, even my mother. It has got to the extent where I will be adding it to my name. It was a name that was workshopped when I was working with my label at the time. It gravitated to who I am.
“I am an old soul when it comes to music. My first love for music was old school, Motown stuff. I wanted the name to resonate with who I am. I’d like to believe I am a burning flame with everything I do so that’s where the name comes from.”
She said she ultimately wanted to take people on a journey with her music.
“I’m praying for people to take away courage and the spirit of not giving up. This is my tenth year in the industry and I am still at it. I get the #superwoman, but we all are superwomen if we don’t give up on our dreams.”
iMpumelelo is available on digital platforms.
The Star