Edward Tsumele

Edward Tsumele

A former male stripper from Hillbrow has turned his life around by cutting a new album.

Sinkay has just released a radio single from his forthcoming album: Ke Lefase laka, meaning "My world". He will soon release a video with the same name.

The title was inspired by the fact that Sinkay is taking charge of his life, having overcome drugs.

Though Sinkay lived in Hillbrow, he stripped mainly at posh hotels - for rich clients who paid him R350 an hour.

"I advertised my services in the newspapers. A client would call to arrange that we meet either at home or a hotel. Some were couples and others were just lonely women.

"My biggest worry was always: 'What if a famous person calls?'," said Sinkay, who stripped from 1998 to 2005.

While stripping, he studied music and sound engineering.

His single is reportedly doing well and Sinkay believes his good fortune is the work of God.

He said his clients will be surprised to see their favourite stripper on stage and on TV.

Now firmly in control of his life, Sinkay is focusing on his new career as a musician.

He said he had decided to confess about his past because he knows that it will always follow him around.

But he no longer worries about his past as a stripper because he is a born-again Christian who believes that, though people may reject him, God has already forgiven him.

He is trying to leave his past behind and focus on his music career.

Sinkay, who is from the rural village of Lonsdale in Limpopo, came to Johannesburg to study music but got involved with "the wrong crowd", who encouraged him to make money on the side as a stripper.

He said it was supposed to be a once-off venture but he could not free himself from that life until he "received Jesus as my lord and saviour".

Sinkay said that that dark part of his life was something that he never shared with people close to him. He became concerned when some of his clients suggested that he give them the "full house" treatment [sex] and make sex videos for the internet.

That was when he knew that he had to get out.

But Sinkay said that was easier said than done because he needed drugs and alcohol to get high so that he could "perform better".

He sad he is happy that that life is over. But he feels sad about those who are still trapped and cannot escape.

Sinkay believes that talking about his past will make it easier for his fans to get to know him better. He wants people to know where he has come from and where he is going because, later in his career, his past might otherwise come back to haunt him and destroy him.

"You never know who might be keeping this information, only to reveal it later to the media - just to destroy my career," he said.

Sinkay believes that the sooner people know about him the better. He said people should not judge him on his past but by what he has become.

"The challenge I am facing is the temptation to lapse back into the past, especially when clients call. You know, the so-called regulars. I have decided to change my cellphone number. I'm not perfect, I'm a work in progress."

Sinkay is introducing a new element into kwaito music - he performs kwaito in Sotho beautifully, with some hard hitting beats.

"This surprised a lot of people who heard the song on the radio. People thought kwaito wasn't improving. Everybody was doing kwaito in Zulu."

What sets Sinkay apart from other kwaito artists is his ability to create something new that flows well lyrically. He believes the days of repeating one line without meaning for the whole song are over. He is determined to take kwaito to the next level.

Sinkay hopes his music will be a breakthrough for this genre.

He introduced himself to listeners to Thobela FM recently when he was interviewed by Skhumbuzo Mbatha on his afternoon drive show.

Listeners loved his music.

He has been performing around the country and the response has been unbelievable. It is obvious that people love his style and his vibe.