Radio personality, music DJ, and podcaster, Solomzi Thandubuntu Phenduka, better known as Sol Phenduka, believes that South Africans are still in the learning phase when it comes to issues of mental health.
In a wide-ranging interview with Sunday World this week Sol Phenduka said mental health is taking center stage when it comes to public agenda and celebrities.
“We have lost so many public figures due to the illness and I guess this has forced us to speak up about the things eating us up inside. Let us be more empathetic and kind towards others. We are in a place where we are learning, becoming, and understanding mentalPo health and taking it seriously,” said Sol Phenduka.
Following the departure of his former Kaya 959 colleague and friend Dineo Ranaka from the station, Sol Phenduka said he felt that this was a new outlook on life for her.
“She is a winner in life just by passing that hurdle which many people have fallen victim to. So many people draw inspiration from her and I wish her a speedy recovery especially because she has overcome the illness and sought help.”
Speaking about his music journey Sol Phenduka said it began way back and he had a keen interest in Hip Hop. He started producing hip-hop beats from his mother’s laptop when he was in high school but in university, all of that changed.
“When I got to UJ [University of Johannesburg] there was a community of a many DJs who were releasing music and many who were making house and that’s when I learnt how to DJ. I dropped my first album in 2012, a lot of people don’t know this and that my music journey is a very personal one.”
Sol Phenduka said he draws inspiration from the pioneers of tribal house music such as Culoe de Song and Black Coffee. Currently, he is working on his EP, which is an amapiano offering.
He said he is not quite certain where he gets his sense of humour from and the way he plays with puns.
“I’ve always just been there ever since I was a kid and I did not know what to call it until I had an English lesson where I knew what it’s called. Also being a rapper I got to use it quite a lot there before I even knew what a pun is and a homonym was.”
He added that reaching 1 million subscribers on Podcast and Chill is affirmation that people love what they are doing as a team.
“It’s such an emotional thing because we have had a bumpy journey. It is overwhelming and it comes with a great sense of responsibility not only to use the platform to be humorous but speak on subject matters that affect South Africans at large,” he said.
On July 30, there will be a celebration of the 1 million subscriber milestone on YouTube. The event will feature a live recording of the podcast, as well as performances by some of South Africa’s top entertainers.
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