Johannesburg- The music industry is filled with fame-hungry talents that quit when careers take too long to blossom.
The long road to success did not stop Duduzile “Lady Du” Ngwenya from reaching her dreams.
The amapiano artist spent 15 years experimenting with different music genres with the hope of finding one that would suit her personality.
The Vosloorus-born artist started her music career under the wing of her father, DJ Choc, at the age of 10. At the time, she was celebrated as the youngest R&B artist in Mzansi.
“I would see my dad clean his equipment in preparation for his gigs and it sparked interest in me. I sometimes used his equipment to mimic what I usually saw him do.
“My dad realized my interest and started teaching me his work when I was nine,” she said.
But the clubs were not a good place for a child to hang out. Even with her excitement to perform behind the decks, she realized that the nightlife was dominated by older people who did not share her interests, apart from her skills.
She then took a break from late-night performances to focus on school, while keeping an eye on her grandfather and singer Elias Ngwenya, uncle DJ Zan D and her father to enrich her musical skills.
Ngwenya spent her tertiary years studying somatology at a London university and worked as a somatologist and skin therapist before returning to South Africa in 2012.
From 2012, she worked at her father’s shop before she could try her luck in house music.
The hit vocalist then had her career highlight last year after flaunting her vocal skills in amapiano. She has been featured in hit songs such as Umsebenzi Wethu, Buyile, Superstar, uZuma Yi Star, and Woza – among other songs that keep the dance floors packed.
The year did not only bring light to her career but she was also reunited with her lover and former Isibaya actor Andile Mxakaza, who wasted no time in engaging the artist.
“It was not easy but I waited because this is all I wanted. Unlike others, it’s not all about nightlife fun. My dad taught me that this is business, not fun and games, she said.
“Just because I am from a musical family, people tend to think that I enjoy the clubs, drinking, and smoking. Well, they don’t know that I don’t even drink or smoke.
In less than a year in the amapiano space, she has bagged the Best Female Artist award at the South African Amapiano Awards and had an international billboard dedication at New York’s Time Square. She advised upcoming artists to respect their craft and wait for their fame to reach them.
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