Fatherhood fuels SOA Mattrix’s passion for his craft

First-time father and popular amapiano DJ SOA Mattrix’s passion for his craft has been fuelled by parenthood with great influences by his one-year-old son Akani. 

Being a great role model and successful father is top of the list for the 26-year-old musician and producer.

Real name Mandla Mashakeni, he was born and bred in Diepkloof, Soweto, but embedded in his DNA is his Tsonga heritage and culture with deep roots stemming from Limpopo. 

It comes as no surprise that his latest offering is aptly titled Akani.

“I see myself as the type of DJ to introduce new people into the game. I want to help build these new artists’ careers so that they can make a name for themselves in this industry,” said SOA Mattrix.

“I hope this will help my son learn something from me one day about how important it is to give back and help others. Yes, he may be too young but all the things I do now will be an accumulation into a picture he has of me as his father one day.” 

The chart-topping DJ described fatherhood as the best thing to have ever happened to him.

“When it’s your first time, you become scared but the responsibilities at hand make you wake up to reality. I work harder now that I’m a father and looking into my son’s eyes inspires me to do more for him, I can’t wait for him to grow up so that I can teach and show him the lessons he needs to do to get by in life,” he said.

Although he has spent most of his life in Soweto, being an ambassador for Limpopo is paramount to him.

“I’m very proud of who I am. My parents grew up in villages in Limpopo. So when they moved here to Gauteng, their sole purpose was to work and provide a decent living for my siblings and me,” he said.

“They never failed to remind us where we are from and they made sure we understood what the reason for living in Gauteng was, which is to make money because the ultimate plan is to go back home in Limpopo and live there – something I will do one day when I’m older.” 

He first rose to fame in 2020 when he released his single uThando, featuring Soulful G and Shaun. The song was a commercial success and certified double platinum.

“Being well-known was a difficult concept for me to comprehend. I consider myself as a shy producer from the hood and the limelight is not something we think of when we’re in the studio making music,” he said.

“I had no choice but to adapt to fame when the demand was high. I got myself a team who helped and showed me how to deal with the pressures of fame and how to navigate my way around it.”

At age 10, he started forming an interest in music, all thanks to his father, who helped sharpen his ear for music. He aims to crossover with his sound that’s a blend of Afro-soul and amapiano with elements of Afro-tech, jazz, kwaito, R&B and the traditional log drums. 

This sound has birth hits such as Mina Nawe, uThando, Athandwe and uMbuzo.