Her name has been on everyone's lips lately. Some can't stop gushing over her music, some are still shocked that she wasn't nominated for a South African Music Award.
And others are talking about an old video that resurfaced that showed her appearing to fondle a fan.
But she's used to being in the spotlight.
Limpopo born artist Makhadzi, real name Ndivhudzannyi Ralivhona, believes that when you have had to struggle and fight all your life, there is very little that can break you.
She's been bullied about her looks and her music overlooked, but she won't stop rising. She says no no matter what comes her way, she knows she is deserving of being the star she is today.
She tells Drum all about the ups and downs that made her who she is now.
Growing up in Tshianangani Village, Makhadzi lived in extreme poverty and didn't know how she would get out.
“But I believed that my time would come,” the Matorokisi singer tells Drum.
She's been doing music for a while. For years, she performed everywhere from taxi ranks to street corners, embracing her Venda language with her traditional music and of course the striking dance moves.
In 2012, she was already recording albums and waiting for her big break.
And it came in 2019 with her Matokorisi smash hit. The song features Jerusalem hitmaker, Master KG. It propelled her into national stardom.
Now, she's gone from taxi ranks to pulling off jaw-dropping performances on stage.
And fans have fallen in love.
“I never wanted to change myself and become something I am not. I had to be patient with the how everything was unfolding.
"I am so happy that I have dispelled the notion that if you are not in Johannesburg, you will not make it because I would have felt pressure to change myself as an artist,” the star says.
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The only thing she had to tweak in her style was her genre which moved from traditional to Limpopo house. "My composition and dance didn’t change much. I have kept to the girl I was when dancing in streets corners," she adds.
Since rising to prominence in 2019, Makhadzi has had the meanest things said about her.
“It is not easy, you have to be strong in life,” she says.
“I was bullied from school. I used to go to school without shoes. Being an outcast started there. When we had to go get food at the school’s feeding scheme, I would be that child without a container to put the food while walking barefoot.
“I became the child that was never considered for anything good. I was constantly told about my looks. Some of the words would hurt so much but I told myself that I am not going to care what they thought of me,” she says.
CNN recently shot a documentary on her journey and story, focusing on an African woman proudly embracing her home language.
This is one of the heart-warming things to ever happen in her career, she says. She wants to be an inspiration to those in villages or disadvantaged backgrounds who don't think their life will ever change.
“I have always wanted the world to know about my journey, where I have been and how I have come to be who I am today.
“I know a lot of people have a fear of starting because they are not deserving and that is not true.
“All the world needs is your talent, not your money or beauty,” Makhadzi says.
"People are going to talk regardless. It was always a dream of mine have my story known all over the world."
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Makhadzi is loved so much that recently fans were shocked and quickly took to social media to complain when she was not nominated for the SAMAs.
Those who believed she was meant to be on the nomination list are questioning the credibility of the awards. It was a shock to her that she was not considered too.
Her album, Kokovha did so well that she thought it might get her the nod.
“When I saw that the nomination announcement was coming up, I thought that this year maybe God will answer my prayers because people do love my music,” she tells us.
But when the nomination list was out, her name was nowhere to be seen.
“I locked myself in a room and I cried. I was asking myself what I did or what did I not do.
“No one is like me, I am Makhadzi so I was also expecting the appreciation for SAMAs,” she says.
But now she says life goes on. Knowing that she is loved is enough to inspire her to go on making music.
“It is such a good feeling to know that I am loved especially as an artist who sings in a language they don’t understand.
“To make other tribes dance to Venda music is really amazing.
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“Even if I do not get awards or much airplay, people still buy my music and watch my videos regardless.
"Award or without award, people are still going to buy my music," she says. She's working on a new album due for release soon, she shares.
"After all, I am doing this for people. They buy my music not because I won a SAMA but because they love it,” she stresses.
