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Mail & Guardian
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mail & Guardian
The spiritual hustle of Young Stunna
Channeling sound: Young Stunna comes from the streets of Daveyton and his music has taken him to the world, but he remains grounded in humility, his roots and his beliefs. In a time when algorithm-driven trends can snatch the spotlight, Young Stunna is a refreshing blend of street-bred honesty, spiritual grounding and artistic finesse. His music doesn't beg to become viral. It doesn't chase gimmicks. Instead, it lingers. Like the taste of your mother's dombolo or an old hymn. It's music that stays. It carries the perfume of home, dusted with gold from the grind. When Young Stunna, born Sandile Msimango, speaks, it's with the cadence of someone who's lived many lives in one, an East Rand prophet cloaked in tracksuits and township slang, his verses emerging from joy, pain, faith and youthful stubbornness. The connection with Swayvee (Nigerian singer Ezekiel Georgewill), for instance, wasn't some boardroom strategy or a forced vibe. It was born of what his generation now calls digital divinity, Instagram DMs. 'It was casual,' he says, 'but it got deep fast.' The remix of Us was never done in a shared booth or with chest-thumping announcements. It was born in virtual silence but pulsed with a loud energy. Remote, yet not removed. Why does Us sound different? Why does it hit you where your emotions are softest? Young Stunna answers not with industry jargon, but with heart: 'The song is about love, but I wanted to show how work takes us away from our people. I'm always busy, flying, recording, performing … but the love never fades.' There's a sadness and a celebration in that answer, a duality he navigates with the ease of someone raised in the paradox of township life. He knows what it means to not have enough, and still make space for joy. He says this remix wasn't about dropping bars or trying to impress the streets. It was fun. 'I just wanted people to fall in love more.' And that's the Young Stunna blueprint right there: make music that reminds us of our humanity. Still, if you listen closely, there's a spiritual labour happening in his sound. You hear it in how he balances kasi edge with ancestral softness. 'When the beat needs me to go street, I go street,' he says. 'When it needs spirit, I channel that too.' It's not about code-switching, it's a shapeshifting rooted in emotional fluency, cultivated by a life raised among elders and churchgoers. What guides this process? Prayer before the session? No. 'I pray when I wake up,' he says. The rest of it? Vibes. Real-life inspiration? 'I don't have a routine,' he says. 'I just get in and work. Stop playing.' It's raw, unscripted, led by feeling and guided not by trends, but by truth. Young Stunna's next sonic wave is already brewing. Think nineties nostalgia, but refracted through new-age soul. 'It's another spiritual journey,' he says. 'Just listen with your heart — the rest shall follow.' That sentence alone feels like a mantra. Something you might paint on a wall in Daveyton for dreamers walking to school with dust on their shoes and music in their bones. Fame hasn't changed him. If anything, it's taught him to be quieter. 'Keep your mouth shut,' he offers when asked about his biggest lesson from the limelight. Not out of fear but because when your music speaks this loud, your mouth doesn't need to. Although Amapiano carries him from township corners to international stages, Stunna remains rooted. 'We don't forget where we come from,' he says. 'We just add sounds to make it better. But we can always go back.' He's not just referencing home geographically, he's talking about soul, community, the origin of rhythm. And it's that depth that's unexpected from someone who wears the name 'Young Stunna'. His maturity didn't come from books or studios. It came from growing up in a home steeped in hlonipha (respect). 'Everyone who comes out of my house is respectful,' he says. 'So, I make music that doesn't disturb the peace. It's beautiful music, led by guidance from legends.' When it comes to collaboration, he isn't chasing clout. He's chasing connections. 'We don't just make music. We love making music,' he explains about the culture at Piano Hub. It's a sentiment that mirrors the spiritual work of music-making, each beat treated as an offering. And then there's his dream team: Aymos, Focalistic, Murumba Pitch, with Scorpion Kings and Vigro Deep on production. 'Different cultures, one rhythm.' You can almost hear the future dancing its way through that lineup, music not just for radio, but for weddings, taverns and church halls. What does he want to leave behind? 'Nothing. I just want people to carry on changing the world.' That's it. No grand ambition to be remembered as a pioneer or a king. Just someone who gave everything and left space for others to do it 10 times better. And if he wasn't doing music? Fashion. Styling. 'I love clooooothes.' The origin story of Young Stunna is no fairy tale. Daveyton wasn't soft. 'It's either you fall for the corner, or you discipline yourself and get out.' He talks about schools, dedicated teachers and church services held in sitting rooms. The moment he knew music was it? Grade 5, stomping feet with his friend Tumelo in a school bus, making beats with nothing but rhythm and imagination. 'Paid for our first studio session that same year,' he says, 'and my life changed.' That image of two kids turning a bus ride into a jam session seems the most accurate metaphor for Young Stunna's music: movement, laughter, struggle, community, spirit and noise turned into art. There's no pretence in him. No mask. Just a man doing what he's born to do. And in doing that, he reminds us that even in the chaos, we can find rhythm. We can still fall in love. We can remember home. And we can sing our stories loud enough for the world to hear, but quiet enough to stay grounded in who we are. And for Young Stunna, that's more than enough.
IOL News
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Behind the beats: Young Stunna shares his take on the ‘US' remix with Swayvee
Amapiano artist Young Stunna shares his thoughts on the 'US' remix with Swayvee, discussing the creative process. Image: Instagram Amapiano sensation Young Stunna jumped on Nigerian artist Swayvee's soulful ballad 'US', which has gone viral on TikTok becoming one of the most used songs for content creation with over a million TikTok creations. The song made waves since its release in March and has been growing since. Now, with the official South African remix, which dropped in June and features Stunna's verse, the song has reached new heights. In a conversation with 'Independent Media Lifestyle', Stunna opened up about his latest collaboration with Swayvee on the 'US' remix, sharing insights into his creative process, the inspiration behind his verse, and the song's visuals. 'US' is a love song that resonated with many, and Stunna's verse, which speaks on how he is always out making money and never gets to spend enough time with his lover, added a touch of raw lyricism. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The 27-year-old hitmaker revealed that he was drawn to the song's soulful feel and knew right away that he wanted to collaborate on the remix. He brought his own unique perspective to the table, exploring the balance between the hustle and the matters of the heart in his verse. According to Stunna, his verse is about the love that remains even when life gets busy. 'Swayvee brought something fresh and I knew I could add a different flavour while still respecting the essence of the track,' he said. When asked about the inspiration behind his verse on the remix, Stunna revealed that he wanted to bring in something deeper, something that people could relate to. 'The song is about love, but I wanted to express the balance between the hustle and the heart. Even though I'm on the grind, the love is still there,' he explained. When you listen to the remix, the chemistry between the two artists' distinctive styles and sounds is undeniable. Stunna attributes this to the mutual respect they have for each other's artistry, which allows them to blend their styles naturally. 'I didn't come in trying to change the vibe of the original. I just brought my roots, my Amapiano flow, and let it blend naturally with what Swayvee had already created,' he said.
