Afro-tech/afro-house producer Mezzo has slightly jumped into the Amapiano bandwagon and his latest hit single Oshaka is fast becoming a big thing in the local scenes!
Rising to the occasion Mezzo, real name Dumisane Shongwe tells MGOSI.co.za that he didn’t go that much to Amapiano but touched a little of their style when it comes to bass and tempo.
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“Oshaka consists of my Afro-tech signature and for that reason, I call the song Amapiano-tech and not necessarily Amapiano,” shares Mezzo.
Oshaka which was released towards the month-end of April is currently doing rounds on various radio stations in South Africa such as Metro FM, Ukhozi FM, Lesedi FM, and Ikwekwezi to name a few.
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“Oshaka is a song that bears a great message that girls also wanna be inspired by their partners (Oshaka) who are doing great things. The song tells us that money is not everything and we need to put well-thought efforts when it comes to impilo (life). When we dropped the song people went insane and such support is so overwhelming,” says Mezzo.
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Born in Tjakastad in Mpumalanga, he says that when they dropped #OshakaChallenge fans went ballistic across social media, showing appreciation of Oshaka.
#OshakaChallenge also saw the likes of Cebo Mthembu (actor and radio personality – Imbokodo FM), better known as Officer Nyawo from a very popular South African television soapie, Uzalo on SABc1 – having fun and making jokes about the song.
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Checkout Nyawo’s reaction to Oshaka below:
Mezzo says that working on the song was one experience that he’ll never forget.
“It was a good experience though, I mean it’s something so brand new and it has got people’s attention which is hard to get, especially when you’re stepping out of your comfort zone and adding flavors from other genres.
“The people I’ve worked with on the song were all amazing. Much appreciation to the likes of DJ Shuntra on the production side, including Abby and Mr. Chillax,” says Mezzo.
Mezzo says when the final instrument of Oshaka came he wanted to work with Lizwi but Mr. Chillax ended up showing him flames, which proved his vocal abilities to be on par.
“I don’t know what really happened. It felt like magic when Mr. Chillax ended up killing the song and I guess what? A hit was made and I didn’t even plan to drop it because I worship my Afro-house and Afro-tech,” says Mezzo.
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He says that when close friends and music lovers heard the song they told him that it was his ticket to life, saying that he feels great about the song.
“When I heard that wonderful feedback from people I told myself that the people have spoken and decided to drop Oshaka. I am also thankful to radio stations such as Metro FM, Gagasi FM, Lesedi FM, Kwekwezi FM, and uMhlobo Wenene FM for pumping Oshaka just in a week of its release,” says Mezzo.
The producer who has previously released a song titled Unwind featuring vocalist Lungi Naidoo says Oshaka’s release was received well and they topped trends since the 24th of April on different digital platforms and also the much support from local radio stations (airplay).
When confronted if he’s planning to drop an album or EP soon, Mezzo says that he’ll keep dropping singles for now.
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“For now, I’ll say I have a lot of good music across digital music platforms which is not heard that much by South Africans. People must checkout and download my music online. In the meantime, I will keep dropping hit singles until the festive season,” says Mezzo.
You can download Oshaka and other hit songs by Mezzo [HERE].
Mezzo has released songs such as Charlie Was There, Ngesandla Sakho, Yimi, and Nguwe to name a few.
Connect with Mezzo: Twitter: @realmezzopiano | Instagram: @realmezzopiano | Facebook: Mezzo Piano Reloaded.
MGOSI.co.za