Mpumi 'Msakazi' Mlambo to lift lid on behind-the-scenes impressions at MetroFM Awards

A pop of colour coupled with her quirky personality is what radio broadcaster Mpumi “Msakazi” Mlambo plans to bring to MetroFM Music Awards’ Behind The Black Curtain segment this Saturday.  

Mlambo, alongside media personality Somizi Mhlongo, will lift the lid on the behind-the-scenes impressions from the winners as soon as they walk off the stage with their awards at the prestigious event that’ll be taking place at Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga. 

While the buzz of the MetroFM Music Awards continues to loom in the air, Mlambo told Sowetan S Magazine that what she was looking forward to was the New Artist category where Oufadafada, CocoSA, Group Chat, Mayten and Tee Tee will duke it out for the coveted award.  

“I’m a lil anxious more than I am nervous about hosting the segment. To be honest, I am not rooting for any specific artist but I am fully behind all the artists nominated in the New Artist category,” said the radio host of Metro FM’s early morning show, Hustler’s Fix. 

“The reason for this is that I am a lot more passionate about rising stars because such an award is an affirmation that they’re in the right direction and that they are in the same league as superstars.”  

Mlambo described herself as a lighthouse that shines the light on unknown talent in SA and has been doing so since the inception of her radio career 10 years ago. “I always love shining the light on the underdog. I believe that if someone doesn’t see you then it means your work is not going to be seen – and this doesn’t mean that your work isn’t good enough, it’s just not noticed,” she adds.   

“All these new artists need is someone to open the door and I like being that broadcaster that does just that on my Saturday prime time show that airs from 12pm to 3pm.”

The 31-year-old explains that a radio career wasn’t something she anticipated because to her “curating music and talking to the listener was just a hobby” and after a decade in the broadcasting realm she is grateful that it has turned into a more lucrative career for her.  

She highlighted that her biggest highlight since joining the national broadcaster was landing her Saturday show and standing in for Tbo Touch on his drive-time show last week.  

“The past year at the station has been so incredible... it feels like I’ve finally met the love of my life and by that, I mean the listeners. As a music curator, I feel I am more aligned with the audience as opposed to when I was at Power98.7 ... which is more of a talk station. My kinda content was not received the way I had expected but now that’s completely different,” Mlambo reflects.  

“Standing in for Touch was quite scary because I respect radio and the platform so much but it was exciting at the same time. I work with amazing colleagues who held my hand and supported me through it.”  

Hosting behind the scenes is not the only thing Mlambo is excited about, she is set to present a wedding show on SABC2 in May and has high hopes of releasing music later in the year.

"I said yes to hosting the wedding show because I believe different opportunities reveal different parts of you that you didn't know existed. I am excited about the show because it'll be the first time SA and viewers at home witness me speak other languages instead of English. They'll get to see me in a different setting where I will communicate with families and other people from different walks of life," she explains. 

The broadcaster revealed that viewers will get to see how much of a hopeless romantic she is although she has no desire to one day walk down the aisle.   “I don’t believe in marriage but I love seeing other people get married. I believe in marriage in other people as well as long-term relationships but I don’t think that’s for me.  

“There are many successful black marriages in the entertainment industry but it’s also important to know what works for you and what does for others.  

“Another thing on my plate of 'things to do' is that I am yet to launch my fashion line digitally, which is something that I’ve been dying to do. I created the clothing line to lift my mood because I suffer from anxiety and I’ve always worn black clothes. 

“So, my task was to go for colour and something that fits just right when it came to my clothing line. Seeing that I love street fashion, I have encompassed my clothes to fit that.”