LuxurySA bursts onto music scene with a bang

Working long hours in retail as a salesman and getting home exhausted was just not enough to stop a young dreamer, LuxurySA, producing a hit song.

With a studio in his bedroom in Joubertina, Klerksdorp, the aspiring house music producer and DJ  produced a smash hit track, Crazy Vibes, last month. Having just a microphone, midi keyboard, and a laptop with music software, he has outdone himself by producing a track that is getting both local and international attention despite having limited resources.  

Without any mainstream airplay, his song completely shocked many with its performance on digital streaming platform, especially on YouTube where the song gained over 900,000 views in less than a month. The song is a fusion of house music and amapiano.

LuxurySa, whose real name is Tsholofelo Mokgothu, is excited that the world is noticing his talent.

“I work part time as a salesman at one of the popular retail shops. I have been working there for the past five years. I only get to work on my music when I am off or after working hours. I used four to five hours every day working on my music,” said the 24-year-old artist.

“I composed and produced Crazy Vibes in June and did not release it immediately. My young brother found it on my computer and he was convinced that this song should be released. We dropped it last month and, surprisingly, it did well.

"I've always loved to produce soulful music with emotional chords. The idea has always been to touch someone's life, even if it’s just one individual. I was not happy and I felt like I needed to add more. The response it’s getting has been good,” he said. 

Now that the performance of the song has proven what he can do as a music producer, LuxurySA wants to pursue music fulltime. He is planning to leave the retail industry as soon as his plans come together. The singer’s bigger plan is to move to Johannesburg and capitalise on the frenzy. He said that since the song released he has also been getting more gigs because of the song’s performance. On the other side, Johannesburg recording companies have been trying to get his signature without success.

“The song’s performance has inspired me to work on a full album that will drop early next year. But those who want to sign me should forget it. I want to own my own recording company and sign fresh talent from my area. I have turned their offers down.”

He fell in love with music at a young age, being inspired by the likes of Black Coffee. He then downloaded music production software and started teaching himself how to create songs.

“At first people who listened to my music said the songs sounded like a cellphone ringtone. But I never stopped watching videos on YouTube which helped me master the art of producing a song. I started doing this in 2016 and it has been a lot of hard work.”

On how he manages to balance work and his music, LuxurySa said he asked for time off from his boss or uses Sundays which are his day off to do gigs. When LuxurySA started out his mother did not approve of his chosen career path in the music industry. Like all parents, she wanted her son to have a career like being a lawyer. Since she has seen what he can do, he said his mother is now fully supportive of his career.