Afro-fusion star Siphokazi chats music hiatus and new project in the pipeline

Afro-fusion songstress Siphokazi Mohapi says she has been taking the bitter with the sweet in the music industry and staying true to her beliefs is what she has lived by, a recipe she says has worked for her.  

She will grace the stage for The Timeless Music Encounter with Siphokazi at the State Theatre on November 11.

TshisaLIVE did a Q&A with the muso about her journey.

Your career spans more than 18 years. What are some of the lessons you are grateful for?

I take every lesson as it comes and I don't have regrets. Yes, I've gone through things that were not nice but I'm grateful because I wouldn't be the artist I am today who understands certain things the way I do today. For instance, when I was a backing singer I met people who believed in paying singers less than instrumentalists. Another thing I believe I learnt in the industry is when you understand the contract you must stick to what is right, no matter how people treat you, The right thing must be done. You must not change and want to please people, you must stand your ground and have a backbone in the music industry 

It seemed like you took a hiatus from the music space. Were you doing it intentionally?

It was not intentional but me giving birth to my kids and having some time to take care of them was intentional. At some point this thing looked like it was a sabbatical that was intentional, but it wasn't , I don't want to run away from the fact that there are challenges in the music industry and I faced those challenges.

Are you working on new music?

I'm not at a stage where I can give dates on when I will be releasing music. I have four albums, but most people know the first album and don't really know all the songs. From the first project there are songs I sing and people think they are new songs, but I'm planning to release new music.