He is one of the rising stars, fast making a name for himself in the world of disc jockeys. His current singles Barman and Wamuhle are nightclub hits and on high rotation at radio stations across the country.
Sihle Jiyana is popularly known by the names ‘The Boy Slade’ or ‘Slade’. He is one of the artists unapologetically dominating the Amapiano space. His song Wamuhle became popular on Tik Tok before it was even released. Slade and his friends gained 1 million views after dancing to the hit before the release date, which saw many people follow suit. The song is also featured on the Apple Music Africa Now playlist.
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Slade’s love for music started at an early age and it grew on him. He spent long hours in his home studio.
“I loved music from a young age. When sad or happy, I turned to music or when I couldn’t articulate myself, music always seemed to speak for me,” he says.
He had close friends that were musicians, and he would always sit in their studio sessions for hours watching and observing.
“That’s when I toyed with the idea of possibly being involved in music, but I was not sure what role I wanted to play in the industry,” he says.
He tried his hand at being a rapper, but that did not work out.
“I wanted to be involved in music so bad that I even once attempted being a rapper. I was not public about it, but my close friends knew. But I had to admit to myself that I’m bad at this rap thing I and should not even try,” he jokes.
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Slade then put his focus on DJing and taught himself to use the DJ software, Virtual DJ. He refers to it as the best for beginners to understand the basics of mixing songs.
“I then figured that DJ’ing is something I genuinely enjoyed and would love to stick with,” Slade says.
“I started just playing around with Virtual DJ on my computer and I became hooked. But I had insecurities about playing in front of a crowd. I spent most of my time playing for myself and practicing,” he says.
“At the time I did not have proper DJing equipment, and I would watch a lot of tutorials,” he says.
“It took about two years of my friends convincing me to get out there and take my music seriously because they thought talented,” he adds.
Born and raised in the West of, Slade lost his mother in June 2019 and went to live with his father which proved to be a big challenge for him.
“I struggled with adjusting with the change and coming to terms with my mother’s passing,” Slade says. Music became his escape and therapy.
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Growing up, Slade listened to a lot of Hip-Hop music.
He is a fan of local DJs PH and Shimza, as well a Cassper Nyovest and Black Coffee.
“One of my short-term goals is to work with Black Coffee and Shimza,” he says.
Although he plays a lot of Amapiano music, he believes his sound is diverse and can’t be boxed.
“I don’t have a specific sound. I’m the type to touch into multiple genres. If you listen to my first and second singles Barman and Wamuhle, they are two different songs. I don’t like to box myself to a certain sound,’ he says.
Bongi Sikelo 