With amapiano cementing itself as the face of the SA party scene, the genre has given rise to new artists creating hits that have made waves across the nation.

The latest shining stars in the genre, artists Soa Mattrix and Soulful G, are basking in the success of their latest hit Uthando, and they plan to take the amapiano genre to the international main stage.

Speaking to SowetanLIVE sister publication TshisaLIVE, the pair told of the struggles they faced in trying to make it big in a fairly new genre.

“I used to perform for no pay to promote myself. It used to be a hassle to perform because people didn't know me. Once I had to go to Lesotho to perform for free and pay for my own accommodation. There were many challenges,” said Soulful G.

The hitmakers opened up about the ideas behind their collab. Soa Mattrix said the song was based on a true story, inspired by real hardships a couple faced and overcame.

“The music video was inspired by a story in real time about a couple in love who have been through rough patches struggling to conquer the music game, and then finally make it and live a happy and successful life,” said Soa Mattrix.

Soulful G said she wrote the song with her mother in mind. The song transcends the boundaries of romantic love.

“It's a simple love song. People relate to it in different ways, but I wrote about it with my mother in mind. In the song I say, 'You love me, raised me, you nurtured me' - and romantic love can't do that,” said Soulful G. 

The pair said they have international dreams for their locally favoured song. They said they hope to make their mark across the globe, starting with Uthando receiving international recognition.

“I'm hoping Uthando becomes big globally and is remembered as one of the classical hits that really made a mark on a lot of people, probably even have a global Uthando tour!” said Soa Mattrix.