Seven years ago singer-songwriter Kaylow was one of the soulful vocalists who dominated the airwaves with his hit The Soul Café, which stood the test of time.

The hit slotted Kaylow as one of SA’s most sought-after house music singers, simultaneously structuring his career into what it is today.

In the past couple of years, the 34-year-old’s catalogue of music grew with hits such as Different Kinds of Love, 24 Hours, Jola and In Love, and now he is set to drop the EP Broken Magic, which he says is an ode to “people who wholeheartedly believe in love”.

“My song The Soul Café wasn’t supposed to be a big hit as it turned out to be. To me, it was just another good song. I released it in 2013 making it the first single from my debut album Reach Out,” the singer explains.

“Every time I write my songs, I always make sure I speak from the heart. I always withdraw from other people’s experiences of love and translate them into my songs… this way I am more relatable to my audience."

Born Kelello Segoana, Kaylow was raised in a musical family where his late mother and aunt always sang, influencing him with the sounds of Patti LaBelle, Nina Simone and George Benson from an early age.

He recalls his mother being his biggest fan who sparked his interest in music and planted the idea of him having a music career.

The Soweto-born musician says he mimicked songs by Musiq Soulchild, Aaliyah, Brian McKnight, Dru Hill and Keith Sweat.

“I grew up with my mom, aunt and grandmother. I was a very active child who did sports in both primary and high school. I was the fastest kid among my peers and I was also the top reader almost every year. When I went to Reasoma Secondary School (in Protea Glen, Soweto), I then became perfect… I was such a focused young kid,” he explains.

“Being raised in a soulful family, I never really set my eyes to become a singer but it just happened quicker than all the other things I had planned. When I moved to Pretoria in 2006 to study after my mom passed away, I found myself mingling with producers in the area; it was only in 2009 that my career started taking form.

“I remember doing a song with Darque called Difference that blew up in London and not so much here in SA – that’s when I decided to try my hand in this music thing. I then met Tim White and joined the House Africa brand in 2013, who signed me with Sony.”

Since the beginning of stages of his music career, Kaylow has been dubbed a house vocalist that needed to be featured on most well-known DJs' songs but after true reflection of who he is now as an artist, he believes he should be known more as a crooner who sings “soft and sentimental love songs” like Nat King Cole. 

“I sing about love instead of money or h**s because I feel that’s one thing that’s missing in music space.

“I received a lot of love growing up and I have a lot of love for humanity. I like to think of myself as a compassionate person, hence my two songs 24 Hours and Intombi speak so much about love. They are both inspired by my dream woman – most of my songs talk about perfect love.”

Kaylow has been pushing strides within the music industry and despite garnering a lot of success and fame, he explains his biggest regret was not being hungry enough for his career. “When I first stepped into the game, I don’t think I was ready for all that was ahead of me at the time… I didn’t know how far to go and how much to hold back.

"At some point, I think I held back a little too much, that affected my growth. I remember I was once booked to perform in Portugal but because they weren’t paying me enough, I chose four gigs that I did in two days that paid me more.

"I didn’t know then how much of a non-calculated move that was. I should’ve taken what they offered me and started building my name overseas.   But I took that as a learning curve and now I’m hungrier than ever to solidify my name in the music industry."

With his eyes now fixated on the prize, Kaylow's new offering that drops next week Friday is anchored on the beginning stages of love with songs that help the listener to travel back in time to the first time he or she met their true love.

"You know that feeling of having butterflies in your tummy all because of new love? Well, that's what my new music will be all about. It touches on that magical feeling," he says.  "I can't pin down which song people will love the most because all the songs talk about different stages of love and relationships.

"For the last song, my team and I decided to make it a party song because after a heartbreak, one differently deserves to party and let all their pain and worries go away. I am quite sure people will enjoy this album."