12 Apr 2018

Shortly after winning the My Star competition in 2015, the 24 year old Motlha did not produce an instant hit to get him the much needed exposure. 

He would later go on to make his own songs hoping to produce the hit that would nudge him a bit further and give him the break he deserved.

It was only after he released a single titled Sesame that the Mmadinare-born lad grabbed the attention of a popular Producer, Suffocate, who would later become his manager.

After signing under Suffocate’s Roc Lefatshe record label, together, the pair managed to produce a hit song called Mmamotse, a song that would elevate Motlha’s musical career and open many doors of opportunities on both local and international platforms as well as gaining him a massive fan base.

In an interview with BOPA, Motlha said he was grateful for the opportunities that have come his way following the release of Mmamotse. 

He said he has been able to perform during big events such as the ‘Maun rocks festival’ and in-corporate events such as the launch of the Botswana Television 2 by the Ministry of Youth empowerment, Sports and Culture Development.

“I also became the first Botswana artiste to perform live on one of the biggest South African Sports programmes, Thursday Night Live with Robert Marawa on Supersport Football channel. To add on to that, I also clinched a publishing deal with Open Mic Productions, a South African Label that has produced for artistes such as Master Kg, Zanda Zakusa to mention, but a few,” he noted.

Mmamotse video was shot in Pretoria and produced by Kyle White. 

Motlha highlighted that the budget for the video was ‘crazy’ as evidenced by the level of professionalism, creativity and quality visuals displayed in the video.

He added that they decided to shoot the video in South Africa because the tight budget would not allow them to move the cast, crew and every person behind the production of the video to all travel to Botswana.

The video portrays a pure traditional love story that combines jazz melodies with the traditional elements. 

This gave a local feel to the song, making it relatable to not just the locals, but also people from outside Botswana. Out of 10, the songs rates one hundred per cent and will capture the hearts of many fans.

Within a week of making its debut in Botswana at the beginning of April this year, the video went on to premier on international television and was aired on Channel 0 on April 9, making Motlha one of the few artist in the country to have ever been able to do so.

The Afro-Jazz singer has just completed recording his album titled African Native set to be released on May 26. ENDS