Selema (Po Po) hitmaker Musa Keys has become a household name by doing things his way

In the middle of what was meant to be a triumphant continental tour last year, Musa Keys was suddenly struck by deep frustration.

He had anticipated to be making bank, playing shows in foreign countries, but he wasn’t. Instead, while the aesthetic of the tour translated well to social media, in reality he was tight on cash and rent was due.

Disillusioned by his situation and a feeling that industry heavyweights weren’t driving the sound forward, he decided he didn’t need popular collaborators to be successful. And so, after playing a gig in Tanzania, he asked a local DJ who’d been showing him around the country to recommend some less-established artists with whom he could work.

After the DJ played him a song by Loui, a talented local vocalist, Keys was sold. Within a few hours, the two were holed up in his hotel room cooking up what we know today as the smash global hit Selema (Po Po). 

“The beat was already almost done when we met up,” says Keys. “The beginning of the beat was coming together, I was just trying to figure out chords because I was trying to make a sound that’s very universal — that’s something I’m big on. I love making music that’s universal but also remains South African... I want my music to hit the global market.”

Selema (Po Po) has done just that. 

Since its release last October, the single has garnered over 20-million streams and made Keys one of the country’s major amapiano exports. While the song continues to make its mark abroad, Keys maintains a pragmatic perspective when I ask him how important it’s been in jump-starting his career.

“The song is important, right, but here’s the thing — there’s gonna be another song that puts me up to a different level than where I am right now…. I can go and do a song with Rita Ora or Taylor Swift and then be on Billboard (charts), but that doesn’t mean that’s the song that really puts me up. Because, two years later, I can have another song with Drake that puts me on an even higher level. I don’t think it’s song based. I’m so slow with my drops because each song needs to play a role in my brand.”

Generally, Keys isn’t fazed by his current success, he says. He’s also unburdened by the pressures of being one of the few Tsonga artists doing it at such a high level. His focus is firmly trained on the bigger picture, and he views each accomplishment as a stepping stone.

“I feel like I’m on a bigger mission. So, the way I approach things is kinda different. I’m always thinking ahead. Whenever I achieve something, I don’t see it as the biggest thing. In that moment, yeah, I am happy, obviously, because I’ve managed to get to that point. But, realistically speaking, I’m like, it’s actually possible to get where I’m going.” 

Even when Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton used the single as the soundtrack to one of his Instagram reels in July, and when Keys was nominated for an MTV Europe Music Award in October competing against Nigerian powerhouses Burna Boy and Tems, he maintained his cool.

“I don’t see it the way you guys see it,” he says. “Crazy thing is, when Lewis posted, I only realised that Lewis was that big on that day. I just knew that he was a driver, and a dope driver. Then everybody started hitting me up, saying, ‘Do you know how big this thing is?’ I was just, like, ‘Okay, that’s dope.’ Some things, I don’t know how big they are, and I think that works to my advantage sometimes because it helps me stay rooted. So, I don’t have a big head about it because I don’t know much about it. But also, after letting it all sink in, I’m just, like, that means I’m getting closer to my goal.”

Keys, real name Musa Makamu, was born in Giyani, Limpopo, and raised in Polokwane. From an early age, he spent his Sundays in church. It was there that he first learned how to play the keys and became drawn to gospel music.

Given this background, making secular music was not a straightforward process. “The transition was kind of crazy, because I had to unlearn a lot of things musically,” he explains. “My sound was too ‘gospelly’, and people did not like that. We’re trying to feel like we’re at groove, not at a gospel concert. Time for church is time for church, and time for groove is time for groove. I had to unlearn a lot of things.” 

In a bid to evolve his skillset, Keys started working with other artists. He paid particularly close attention to how people making it in the industry were doing things and found that his way of doing things wasn’t too far off the mark, he just needed to enhance an aspect of his production. Then, a conversation with his mentor helped him realise that he needed to stop trying to follow trends and just believe in himself. This was when his music started to pick up. “Samarian Boy was actually starting to become a big song, and the chat was, ‘This is a big song without any lyrics.’ There ain’t no lyrics, I’m just mumbling and stuff. And life just changed.”

Keys’s defining quality is his musicality. Unlike most amapiano acts, he doesn’t focus on drums and layering his shakers. Instead, he prioritises melodies and big chords, which drive the listener to focus on the vocals. His production is notably spacious and light on the ear.

Aside from this, he’s also known for his flashy sense of style. The “Tsonga Michael Jackson”, as he calls himself, was named GQ SA’s best-dressed celebrity in 2022. Keys says his sense of style works hand in hand with his music. “I feel like music can be pushed to a certain extent and then fashion comes in and makes the music last longer. There are so many songs out there [where] we don’t know anything about the producer or the vocalist.” He uses the perennial party anthem, Sister Bethina, to illustrate his point. “I still get confused whose song Sister Bethina is. But that song is very big…”

Keys in August made a big splash after scooping the coveted Record of the Year at the 28th annual SA Music Awards for his song Vula Mlomo, featuring Sir Trill and Nobantu Vilakazi. He sealed his superstar status by closing the show with a spectacular performance of Selema (Po Po). If there was a silver of doubt before about his star power, he silenced even his naysayers that night.

He is also part of Stimorol Flow.Lab, a platform where aspiring musicians can connect with established artists such as Keys.

Over the past year, Keys has increasingly turned his focus to building his record label, House of Tayo. He recently collaborated with new act Konke for the chart-topping single Kancane. With another House of Tayo project on the horizon, Keys has his sights on taking his brand to the next level. And what exactly is that level? I ask. “Bro, I’m trying to be a big, iconic name. A household brand.”