Sizwe Sibiya
Towards the beginning of 2020, clothing brand owner and rapper Llayn debuted with his first commercial single, “Qonqo”.
The track, meaning “knock-knock,” was an instant hit, and its music video has now clocked over 100,000 views on YouTube.
But – as it did to so many others – the Covid-19 pandemic derailed Llayn’s promising career.
“We had big plans with the label Rockstar Records that had just signed me in 2019,” said Llayn, whose real name is Zolani Mbhele.
“Deals and contracts had to be broken. I had to postpone the release of my second single. The momentum from my first single dampened down,” said Llayn who released his second single “iTemate” with a music video in June this year.
The national lockdown prohibited long-distance travel and the hosting of events, pulling his music career to complete halt.
Llayn told Scrolla.Africa that after these two crucial aspects of an upcoming musician’s career were stifled, he had to depend solely on his clothing line called Llayn to keep him afloat.
“I started the clothing business in 2014 in Umlazi – where I am from – to get my stage name out-there. But during the lockdown it became a business that supported my music career.
“With the name ‘Llayn’ spelled out on every t-shirt, hoodie, bucket-hat or cap that I sold using social media, I managed to stay relevant to my fans and also grow my music career,” he said.
The Durban rapper also told Scrolla.Africa that he is currently working on two albums simultaneously.
Image source: Supplied
