Pretoria - Years from now, when the South African dance music is written, it will not be complete without the name of Donald Thabo Seleka, commonly known as KingDonna.
The 26-year-old pioneer in the house music industry is a passionate DJ and relentless producer. He was born in Boksburg but grew up in Tafelkop village in Limpopo.
“Since I’m Donald, most of my friends I grew up with used to call me Donna – even now, they still do. So I decided to add King to it to sound more catchy,“ he laughs.
He describes his music as African electronic with a dash of tech.
“Simply put, I turn my life into melodies. That is what sets me apart from my peers.
“All melodies I involve in my music are challenges I have been through and footsteps I take every minute of my life.”
He scratched his head when asked about his musical influences. “That’s a tough one,” he said.
“I wouldn’t say these have necessarily influenced my sound. It’s more a case of providing infinite inspiration. A quick list off the top of my head would have to include Kususa, Da Capo and Enoo Napa.”
KingDonna picks Mahamba and Bashimane as his biggest singles to date. “These songs grew my fan base, and most people now know who’s KingDonna and what he does.“
KingDonna said since he was young, he was always attracted to music. “I could sit for hours and listen to music.
“I discovered that music was what I really liked and it makes me really happy; you know what they say – make your hobby your work and you will never work for the rest of your life.”
Asked what he enjoyed about being a music producer, he said: “I can express my feelings through music and as a DJ, I get to travel doing what I love”.
His music, he added, was all about building and not destroying, relations and people in general.
KingDonna takes some time to listen to what some other producers are creating, too. His current playlist includes Atmos Blaq, TorQue MuziQ, Silvva, and “obviously myself”.
Heading into the summer holidays, KingDonna is releasing a new EP soon, featuring one of the most well-regarded vocalists, Helper RSA.
He also plans to have some new music late in November, with Pablo Escco.
“Next year I intend to release more EPs. I’m looking forward to getting back into the studio again to give my fans top-notch music.”
South African music was growing in an amazing way, he said.
“One only needs to look at people like Shimza, who are trying so hard to push the sound, which is a good thing for us up and coming producers,” he added.
His message to fellow producers and artists is: “Let us keep supporting each other so we can be able to grow together.”
Pretoria News