Young Stunna takes off

“My first hundred thousand, I didn’t know what to do with it, I locked myself in my room in disbelief,” Young Stunna chuckles, reflecting on the first few months of his meteoric rise to fame. “I was like, ‘This is my first R100k, what am I going to do about it?’ I went crazy. I made my first million in my first year, it was crazy.”

This was three years ago, after he’d been called to the house of amapiano pioneer Kabza De Small. In 2021, while he was bubbling under as a hip-hop artist, Young Stunna found his sound in amapiano instead. Some two weeks after his meeting his hero and hitting it off in studio, they created the magical singles Camagu and Adiwele.

“I spent money recklessly and I learnt to save. I’m saving a lot now,” the 27-year-old says when I ask him about the biggest lesson he’s learnt in the past three years. “It’s been crazy, I haven’t been able to let it all sink in. Every week there is something new and I’m always on the road. There is less time with family and friends. I spend most of my time by myself. I have just been learning. Information goes a long way and it depends on with whom you associate yourself. Musically, I’m growing and the money is getting bigger.”

Not everything that came out of the Covid-19 pandemic was bad — Young Stunna is that anomaly. During lockdown, viral stardom and social-media success came calling. He hit half a million followers on Instagram in just five months and is now sitting on 1.4 million followers.

“My family gave me 2020 as my gap year after matric to try music,” he says. “I got distinctions and good grades when I matriculated in 2019. I could get into any university and my family was going to pay for it, but I didn’t want it. So, I ran away from home for six months in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic. I lived with my producer and finished my hip-hop project. I just wanted to explore and he introduced me to amapiano.”

He was born Sandile Msimango in Daveyton on the East Rand, and his lyrics are heavily influenced by growing up in the ’hood. That’s where he got his other moniker, Mashaya.

“Where I come from it’s difficult to make it out, unless you are discipled and choose which side you are going to fall into,” he says. “It’s either you chill in the corner to hustle or chill in the corner to do drugs. My music comes from those experiences and that’s why I call myself Mashaya, which is basically a hustler. When they call you Mashaya, it means you can sell anyone anything. I used to be around boys who stole phones and give them strategies to get big money.”

While both his parents (who are separated) were present in his life while growing up, Young Stunna was mostly raised by his two grandmothers. They made a huge impression on his life, especially since he was raised in the church.

“That’s where I learnt how to respect and carry myself,” he says. “We had church service every Sunday, so there was no running away from that. As soon as you wake up, you are getting ready for church at home.”

Young Stunna says that his second album is 80% done — and is his most important work yet. He describes the project, named after his great-grandmother, as spiritual. “Not too much of the club life, I’m not into that,” he explains his creative process. “My music doesn’t use vulgar language. I don’t want to express myself like that. I want my music to accommodate everyone.”

He is already making a transition in the new album with his appearance. “I want to introduce a new character, which is why I went bald,” he says. “I’m not going blond and I’m naming the second album after my great-grandmother. It was good for me to cut my hair in that respect. It’s more than the music for me, it’s about what guides me to get there. Sometimes I feel like I’m not doing the writing, but they [his ancestors] guide me. It’s not about me being smart or knowing how to turn a story into a song. When I get in the studio, they take over too. That’s why my music is not too vulgar.”

His debut album, Notumato, was recorded and released in just five months after he was signed to Piano Hub in early 2021. The 16-track album had guest appearances by Kabza De Small, Big Zulu, Daliwonga, DJ Maphorisa, Blxckie, Sizwe Alakine, and Felo Le Tee. On the new record, he’s not exploring as many features, although he teases a huge international collaboration.

“The first album felt like an exercise to me because I didn’t know the requirements and what it takes to make a hit song,” he says. “I was just introduced to sound and it was my first time experimenting with and experiencing amapiano.”

He also plan to return to his rap career. “Amapiano saved my life, but hip hop is always home,” he says. “I will always go back to hip hop because I have more to say and amapiano doesn’t allow me to express myself like that.”

Young Stunna regards himself as a multi-hyphenate creative. When he’s not in the studio making music or performing on stage, he acts, writes, designs, and draw. He also notes that he doesn’t work with a stylist — all his fresh fits are all him.