Kgaogelo Moagi A.K.A Master KG is a South African musician and record producer. His album Skeleton Move achieved acclaim including an AFRIMMA Award for Best Artist/Group in the African Electro category. He is the creator the “Bolobedu” dance. In 2020 his song Jerusalema went viral during lockdown clocking more than 50 million views on #YouTube.
The song, was released in 2019, was followed by a remix featuring Burna Boy. Debuting at number 6 on the Billboard World Digital Sales Chart and number 31 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart. Recently he has been nominated for four #MTV “MAMA” Awards. ALT caught up with him to discuss his recent success and the MTV nominations.
ALT: How have you been navigating the music industry during lockdown?
MASTER KG:
It has been something I am not even used to because, you know, I feel like life has gone to a different level, it went to like a new era and all that. So, there is a lot that I am still adapting to, but at the same time, I am just keeping up with going to the studio making more music, you know, and to travel when I can to keep going.
ALT:
One of your recent successes, during lockdown is Jerusalema, to what do you attribute the success?
MASTER KG:
It is an amazing song, it is one of those songs that I feel like it will go down into history, as that African song that held the world together in one place, to get together and be one, you know, not that we are not one, but it got people just to celebrate all together in all parts of the world. I am so happy, by the success of Jerusalema, so many things that the song has achieved, many big things. I do not know, what to say because it had 20 million views on YouTube and counting, which is so incredible. Yeah, man, it’s amazing.
ALT:
Do you think that Bolobedu is going to be the next big sound coming out of Africa after Afrobeat?
MASTER KG:
Yeah. Bolabedu music, it is amazing, you know, it is a genre originating in South Africa in Limpopo, it is that ghetto sound and you fuse it with other sounds, other modern sounds, you know, to just create more magic and one thing for sure I see, the sound growing bigger and better in the future. I know, because one thing for sure there’s a lot of people who are also jumping on it recently, lot of artists are really owning it and, taking it to the next level. So, by that I feel like in this going to be one of the biggest things to be out there soon.
ALT:
How does it feel to be nominated for the MTV MAMA awards?
MASTER KG:
I just feel celebrated and I feel that I am celebrated, and my music is celebrated, which means more than anything else, whether I win or lose, this is like a celebration to me. It shows that they, see the work that we put out there, the impact that we have made and the change that we have made with this music. So that something amazing. I am so happy to be part of, of MTV MAMA, all phone, nominations, which is so huge, it is not easy to get four nominations, but we were able to do that, which shows the love it is there.
ALT:
As a musician, during a lockdown, what are some of the things that you have learned?
MASTER KG:
I feel like there is a lot of things that I learned like doing my set virtually doing the performances virtually or just broadcasting music performance virtually, on our platforms. That is one of the things that, we would have not done, when life was all good and all normal. but I think that it is very amazing. And to interact with fans, talk to as many as you can interact with. Get their side of the story, how they feel, and you know, what they feel that you can do or what’s next and everything. And just get like different opinions from people, and the last thing is studio. I feel, during this lockdown, I had like the studio sessions that, I never managed to have when life was normal saying that it made me feel, see things in a different way. I felt that when you have all the time to be in the studio and do your things perfectly, like the outcome, it’s different from l when you a busy going up and down and, and just getting small time for studios.
ALT:
So, what has been one of your biggest motivations for becoming a musician?
MASTER KG:
I would say my biggest motivation is to change lives with my music, that is one thing for sure. I’m doing music, to make sure people are happy to make sure people smile, to make sure people are united people, people get the message, from the music. I feel like, what I’ve learned is also now a reality that I’m living right now, because, what I’m doing now, it’s, it’s something that, I’ve learned way, way back and like the music now, it’s speaking by itself, it’s uniting people, it’s making people happy, it’s lifting people’s spirits up in doing all these kinds of things, which I’m more than happy to see everyone every day happy with my music getting motivated and everything.
ALT:
Do you think that music has a strong place specifically in Africa, in politics?
MASTER KG:
I will not really say it has a strong place in politics, but what I was saying that music it is a way of sending a message fast, it is a way of if there is something that, you want to address, people to know off or anything like that, I feel that music, it’s something that will get the message out faster.
ALT:
who are the artists that inspire you the most?
MASTER KG:
I listen to the old stuff, not that I do not listen to the new music I am still young I am youthful obviously! I do listen to the new stuff but like the motivation. I would say it comes from those 80 sounds, those ballads, but, you know, if there is one person that, you know, is making me do what I am doing today, it’s the late Bojo Mujo who was a South African producer, and DJ, you know, he used to make good, good music. He is someone who inspired me with all the sound that I am doing right now.
ALT:
And last question are you currently planning any live gigs at the moment?
MASTER KG:
To be honest with you, it is extremely hard. We have tried and tried and tried and tried to plan, but every time when you would plan, you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, you plan today and tomorrow, when things are about to happen, there’s a shutdown, all I can say for now is that, is just to relax and wait for things to get better, and plan from there, because I feel like planning and not making it happen it gets expensive So I would say, let’s fight this pandemic respect the rules and, try and stop it. And then after that we can plan well.
ALT:
Thank you so much for talking to ALT Africa.
MASTER KG:
Thank you so much, thank you for this amazing interview.
The MTV Africa Music Awards Kampala 2021 will be broadcast on MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) and MTV Africa (DStv Channel 130) on 20 February 2021. The show will also be aired on MTV channels in 180 countries globally.
#Mtvafrica #MTVBASE #Bolobedu #MTVMAMA #masterkg #southafrica #MTV #BurnaBoy
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