Music producer and TV executive Musa Ntsebesha has accused KZN songstress Lungile “Naima Kay” Khumalo of backstabbing him.
The uMlilo hit make was blasted on the Daily Reports Platform podcast.
“I discovered Naima Kay, I made her. Her first album was made out of my money,” claimed Ntsebesha.
“When I saw her, I just knew she was born to be a star. I then went to her grandmother and asked permission to work with her. She agreed.
Built the Naima Kay brand
“Her brother, Samkelo was also doing music, he had a small studio at home. This was an advantage for Naima Kay because it was easy to create beats for the songs. I encouraged her to keep writing music and rehearse on a regular basis. And I later moved Naima Kay to a bigger studio and started promoting her as a brand. She started getting bookings from the district, and then regionally.”
He said there was a contract in place. But he still treated her as his own child.
“I believed in her, I wanted her to succeed. As a result, I invested a lot of money in her. I’d buy costume and provide transport for her. Eventually, we had fashion designers offering to dress her,” he said.
“Our problems started in 2010 during the Soccer World Cup. She was booked at an event. And from that day she changed. She befriended Mdu Ngcobo’s artists, and I had no issues with that. Weeks later, I learned that she was being fetched by a top DJ from her home and attending gigs without my permission. This was orchestrated by a team of people. And before I knew it, she was gone. Unfortunately, our contract had also come to an end,” sad Ntsebesha.
Naima Kay denies being discovered by Ntsebesha
Sunday World approached Naima Kay and she denied Ntsebesha’s claim. “I know Musa, but he did not discover me,” she said.
“He used to host auditions in our community and I’d also audition. When I met Musa I was already working with my brother. He had a small studio and he helped me with beats and rehearsals. Musa only helped me to get gigs but I never received the money. He’d also take me to pageant competitions. I was still young and I knew nothing about the industry. In 2009 I met Mdu Ngcobo and that’s when my music career started. By 2010 I signed a contract with Touch Africa,” said Naima.
