He's had his ups and downs in both his personal life and career. While he was celebrating the release of his fourth studio album, he lost his best friend who was also his manager.
Mthembeni Ndevu (28) popularly known by his stage name Emtee, is a multi-award-winning artist who recently released his first album as an independent artist under his own record label, Emtee Records.
“The making of the album was during a time where covid-19 had just hit. Accessing the studio was tricky but was a blessing in disguise because we were able to take as much time needed to polish it up and have it engineered. It was fun making music and vibing while making it, how I make music has never really changed but with this album I’d say it would have to be the maturity in subject matter and choice of instrumentals. It also differs because of the scarcity of music that speaks to the soul,” he tells DRUM.
In the album named after his second born son Logan, Emtee speaks about his love for his sons Logan and Avery and family while sticking to his hustler melodies that his supporters love him for.
“What inspired Logan the album is of course the life of my baby boy. I treasure his and his brother’s life as much as I treasure what I do. I do it for both my sons Avery and Logan. It also paints a picture of my life before and after Logan’s birth. I’ve learned to be more responsible, have time for everything and most importantly make time for my family. I’ve also learnt to respect people more and take nothing for granted.”
Read more | Emtee mourns the death of his manager and childhood friend
Emtee speaks a lot about his faith in God in his music and makes references to ‘uMdali’ (the creator) frequently throughout his albums. He tells us that his faith has always been his pillar in life.
“My faith has helped me in many ways in life in general. In our industry it’s easy to lose yourself because of short comings and unfair treatment but with God by my side, I am confident that he will see me through with all that I do for other people regardless of what people think of me.
“ I have grown in my career in a way that I am able to endure the pain, hurt and disappointment and never lose my belief in the goodness of people no matter who did what to me. I have also grown to learn that I have no competition and what motivates me is myself. I beat so many odds. I’m still trying to beat some.”
Emtee recently lost his childhood friend and manager Lebohang Masanwayi and his currently mourning the loss of his best friend.
He is still determined to make the best of his music, record label and plans on discovering South Africa’s raw talent.
“There is a lot to expect from Emtee as the artist, Emtee Records as a label and an empire. My dream is to help and discover fresh new talent and I would love to venture into sports management. Maybe sign a few pro athletes to Emtee records as their Media Agency and lastly to own a union for the rights of all creatives in our continent.”
