Versatile DJ and Artist Supta Makes Music For Himself Before Pleasing The Streets
Some know him from the radio airwaves for his charismatic personality on the mic, while others are familiar with him being one of the masterminds behind Prince Kaybee’s 2019 hit single “Gugulethu”. Born as Siybulela Sithole, DJ and music artist Supta is an all-round talent in the entertainment circuit, taking up space in the silver screen, in radio, and also in music.
The SAMA-nominated star recently released his single “Phakamisa” alongside KMAT and Sizwe Alakine, stoking anticipation for his forthcoming project later this year. Responsible for other hits such as “Ntinga Ntaka” and “Amajuba”, we caught up with the Eastern Cape-born star to learn more about his journey.
“I learnt how to deejay in Bloemfontein. There was a certain gentleman who had DJing lessons he was offering when I was still doing my first year in varsity. That’s where I learned me how to play. That was the phase that familiarised me with the industry. That’s how I started to play and to deejay as a way of acclimatising myself to the industry in the Free State. This was all back in 2010.” he said, when asked about where it all begun.
Supta
Supta spoke about the interesting germination of his single, “Phakamisa”, alongside chameleon-esque musician Sizwe Alakine. A product of a seed planted all the way back in 2023, the afrotech track is a go-getter’s anthem, a barrier-breaking affirmation of one’s existence and an ode to the dearly departed fighting on their behalf from the afterlife.
“The song came about because Sizwe Alakine and I had spoken about working together since 2023. We all know that Sizwe Alakine is Reason, and he is currently on a journey of opening himself up to jumping on different genres as a way of diversifying his music style. So I tapped him and asked him to see if he could jump on an Afrohouse song, and he was keen on it. I played him the beat and he liked it. And Sizwe, being so musical, started humming words and creating melodies. He came up with the melodic “Phakamisa”, which essentially means phakamisa idlozi, so that even if people want to close things down for you and are being negative, we force things by not allowing gatekeepers to have their way with our futures,” he said.
Listen to “Phakamisa”:
Having been blessed to work alongside juggernauts behind the decks such as Grammy-winning DJ Black Coffee and SAMA winner Prince Kaybee, Sithole spoke about the influence the musicians had on his craft as well as the subtle but effective education he obtained from being in their presence about the value of imbuing songs with musicality.
“Black Coffee, Shimza, Prince Kaybee and Thakzin are some of the guys I’d say have influenced my sound. And I don’t mean that they’ve influenced my sound in terms of where it’s at right now; their influence goes way back. I’ve had the opportunity to work with the majority of them, and that has helped me improve my sound so that I can be unique in the industry. For example, I worked with Kaybee on “Gugulethu”. The musical capacity that he has influenced me in such a way that even if I make music for the clubs or the streets, I try to make it musical,” he said.
“I feel like I’ve gotten to a point where I can make music that speaks to me before it can speak to anyone else”
A media cosmopolite, Supta let it be known that struggle to keep one’s identity while trying to keep the streets happy was a double-edged sword – one nearly impossible to escape. The DJ has managed to acquire enough knowledge on musicianship and what the market wants to chisel his DNA accordingly, affording him the luxury of being able to make music appealing to the people while still addressing himself first.
“It’s very difficult to find a sweet spot between keeping your identity has a DJ while trying to listen to the streets. You know, music is always evolving but the streets are the streets. The streets are the market. I think what has helped me is keeping my ear on the ground without losing my identity. Essentially, what I mean is that I’m on TV and radio, and I’m a DJ and a music producer. All those things have exposed me to the streets and the different kinds of music that have shaped me. This taught me that I don’t have to conform to stand out, and I’ve realised that in as much as the streets are evolving, the streets always want something different, and something that has an identity. I’m still learning, but I feel like I’ve gotten to a point where I can make music that speaks to me before it can speak to anyone else,” he said.
Supta was in utter dismay when asked to handpick the most beloved song to him from his catalogue. But he eventually settled for his titular single from his Ntinga Ntaka EP released in 2022 alongside Thalitha and Obie.
“My favourite song has to be “Ntinga Ntaka”. The song reminds me of my strength and how much God really knows where I need to be and where He’s taking me. In the song, God is essentially telling me that He’s giving me new strength, that I should use it to soar. That kind of music is important because it’s there to constantly remind me that I am a superstar and that I deserve everything coming my way,” he said.
With his grounding being God, it came as a no-brainer that among his favourite genres were gospel and amapiano – musical styles with an affinity for the spiritual.
“I’ve never really thought of a genre to experiment with in the past. The genre that I like though is gospel. I’m already in the afrohouse and afrotech space, so I’d like to do piano as well. But I’m talking about experimenting not music I’d be actually releasing as an artist,” he said.