He was part of YFM for ten years and left the station without a plan. He knew he would one day end up working at Metro FM.
It might have seemed like a lofty goal to some, but he believes in his talent and is comfortable hosting any radio show and always brings his A-game, he says.
DJ Sabby, real name Sabelo Mtshali, tells us how he got here.
"For my sanity, I left Y with no plan. I thought 'this is not how I thought my years at Y would play out'. After leaving a show that was so big for so many years, I called two programs managers and fast forward, I am at Metro and I landed a weekend show," he says.
On Friday he hosted his first show during the week, The Bridge, taking over from Dineo Ranaka.
This comes only after a year of joining Metro.
He played Good Day by SZA as the first track on the show. He says this was his way of bringing good and positive energy to his new space, that is why he asked the music compiler to change his first track because he is introducing a new vibe.
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DJ Sabby is excited about his first-weekday show, the feeling he had, and shares how he spoke his current position into existence.
He says his first day doing a weekday mid-morning slot was special and nice, he was nervous but he was able to find his way.
“The reception was amazing, it was great, it was how I envision it to be,” he tells Drum.
"I woke up in the morning, music is everything to me so played some music to hype myself up. I prayed, showered, drove to work while listening to the podcast, and then switched to music. I got to the office it was good vibes, it was Mo Flava's birthday so the energy was high and then I met my team and we had a great show."
He enjoyed everything about his first day even the Ask A Man segment, which he says is a very eye-opening segment and doing it with his co-host was amazing.
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He says a lot of people were shocked when he left the previous station where he did a prime time slot and joined Metro where he only did one show a week.
"I always had a trajectory of where I would like my career to go and always knew that I would end up on Metro but I thought I was gonna be on Metro on weekdays but it didn't play out like that. I worked on the weekend, it was an exciting challenge and I feel like to prove to everyone who I am, what I can do and what I can offer to the station and the business and its sound, I knew I had to work harder than everyone with the one show that I had.
“I did the Top40, a year later the numbers came out and that was the results of hard work and dedication," he says.
He says even when he spoke to the management, he always reiterated that he is not the guy who is planning to be on weekends forever. “I am a weekday huh, I love engaging with different kinds of content but there was no space at the time,” he says.
"They had a different vision for me and when Dineo said that she was leaving, it was 31 May, they called me in the office and offered me the show. It was great to know that the conversations and promises that we've made to each other were fulfilled," he says.
Sabby says for the station to trust him with this show and give him the opportunity considering the magnitude of the show and what it means for the daytime lineup, is a great honor.
"They are even going out of the norm, usually they will pair female and male voices. For me, it goes to show how they believe in my talent so I am looking forward to it. For as long as you know what a person would like to hear at a different time slot, how to engage with content, and which songs to play, it is hard to get it wrong," Sabby says.
He says as long as radio hosts do their job behind the mic, radio will forever exist.
"As a host, you have to move with the time and deliver to the audience. I look forward to a great show that will introduce Sabby to the world and it is exciting."
