18 Jan 2017

At 25 years of age, Amogelang Motsage commonly known as Amio K in the entertainment industry believes that she was born with music in her bloodstream, and said the trade saved her from a life of misery and helped her accept who she is.

“As a youngster I was always ridiculed for the way I speak because I had a condition of stammering. So this made me uncomfortable and as a result I was quiet and kept to myself most of the time,” she said.

Motsage said this made her a loner and anti-social as she grew up and this made it hard to make friends. This was however, a blessing in disguise as she found a loyal friend and companion in music.

This is where the young lady discovered that she can be herself and not worry about her stammering problem or what others label her. “I then discovered that when I sing I can just flow without pauses in between as opposed to when I am talking. This made me more comfortable when singing and it also increased my confidence and self-esteem and this is why I always feel music saved me,” she said.

Although Motsage started practicing her craft at a tender age of 12, it was only in 2010 that people started talking her seriously. She was known as the Motswako queen in the entertainment circles and the title spurred the youngster to release her first offering called 'Nako ya summer' which did not do well.

“As a musician there comes a time when you get negative feedback from the public and when you do you have to be prepared to take it positively and use it to improve your skills and this is exactly what I did,” she said of the experience she got from her first failure.

She added that she worked harder in her next songs and it was then that people started giving her positive feedback. “I started gaining more fans and my music got played in various local radio stations and many more people encouraged me to keep making music,” she said.

Motsage said she writes music that relates to real life situations, hence making it easy for people to relate to it and follow her.

“When I write music I address issues such as heartbreaks, marriages and relationships and these are situations that people go through on a daily basis, so this makes my music more relatable as it can heal souls,” she said.

Last year was a great year for Motsage as she finally scored a record label and did songs that not only earned her respect in Botswana but also gained international recognition. “I released a song that got international recognition as it was featured in a media site in South Africa called Slikour on Life. This was big as the site is one of the most visited music sites online,” she said.

Motsage said she looks up to the likes of Vee Mampezy as he is an example of the phrase, 'nothing is impossible if you work hard.'

 “Vee Mampezy started off from humble beginnings and kept working hard to attain his status as a legend in the music industry. He has transformed the industry by collaborating with big international artists and is signed by the biggest record label,” she said.

As a lady in the music industry, Motsage said she feels privileged and lucky as she loves the idea of challenging herself. “I sing a genre dominated by males so I have to always work harder to match their level and try my best to even shine brighter than them. It is difficult but I am always up for the challenge as it builds me and makes me a stronger artist,” she said.

Even though some feel that music is not a career that someone can rely on, Motsage said it can if ones takes it seriously and works hard enough.

“My advice to other upcoming artists is that they have to believe in their art and put more effort when recording songs.

That way we can all prosper and get recognition and we can earn a living while doing what we love,” she said. ENDS