By Doreen Mokgolo
Legendary musician Freddy Gwala is standing solid and unshaken in his music genre while over the years various popular genres have come and gone.
For over three decades the musician has been releasing zumbo songs, a genre he founded and which gave way to kwaito and the modern day amapiano genres.
The multi-talented musician, producer and composer is known for hit songs like “Oksalayo” and “Amadamara”, which are back in full circulation after they were remade by amapiano duo HBK.
Speaking to Scrolla.Africa, the 62-year-old musician said he will only hang up his mic in his grave.
“I am the only musician in the country and globe making this music.
“This is a gift I was blessed with — to motivate prisoners, criminals and discourage criminal activities.
“As long as my body carries me and I am able to compose and perform I will keep blessing fans with my music,” he said.
Although he is a pensioner, he said, he is still able to perform as well as he did when he joined the industry, due to his healthy lifestyle.
“As a young musician I took a decision not to experiment with alcohol.
“I respect my body. I follow a strict diet that doesn’t include fizzy drinks and sugary drinks. I only drink water. This has allowed me to still be able to entertain my fans on stage, even as a pensioner,” he said.
The “Oksalayo” hitmaker said though the industry has changed over the years he is not going to change but will collaborate with young musicians who approach him.
“I took a conscious decision to remain consistent in my genre. It is only when amapiano became popular that young artists approached me to remake some of the songs and I agreed to it,” he said.
The musician is currently working on an album which is set to be released later in the year.
Picture above: Freddy Gwala
Image source: Supplied
