Well-known singer and dancer Robot Boii, born Mzwakhe Mbuli jr, is celebrating a momentous achievement in his career journey after bagging a dance award at the inaugural Trace Awards held in Kigali, Rwanda.
Mbuli calls the accomplishment “surreal”, admitting that he was taken aback when he saw his nomination on social media.
The “Salary Salary” hitmaker faced off with other renowned dancers such as Tayc (France), Ghetto Kids (Uganda), Yemi Alade (Nigeria), and Zuchu (Tanzania) in the Best Dancer category.
In conversation with “The Star”, Mbuli said he was pleased to be acknowledged on such a huge platform and go head-to-head with other giants in the world of dance.
“My first reaction was excitement because I am the type of person who does what he does out of passion. So when you get acknowledged, it is sort of like a bonus or a cherry on top. My mind was like, damn, that’s dope. And I found out from Phil Mphela on Twitter.
“I can’t explain that feeling because I feel every human being has a level of saving room for disappointment, so no matter how confident you are or how you feel about the nominations, you’ll always leave room for disappointment. And we tend to lean on that to not get overly excited. So I was still speechless when they said ‘Robot Boii’ and it was dope. Going up there and representing the country and the genre of amapiano. And most of the dances that you see on the internet come from the genre of amapiano. So it only made sense that you give it to South Africa because we are the ones that are creating these dances and these challenges. And we are the ones that add value to these challenges. And it is not a challenge until your boy jumps into it,” said Robot Boii.
He also emphasised the significance of representation in all aspects of the entertainment industry.
Asked if he had always had a knack for dancing, he said: “Everything of mine started with dancing when I was a child in preschool. I was in a music video where I was not briefed because I was just a child, and as I was standing there, I was watching the guys on my left dancing and mimicking the guys next to me. And that was the child version of me. And once I got the understanding, I have been dancing since Grade 6. I used to also dance in high school.”
He said that the feedback from those who follow his profession has been incredible because many people admire his work.
“My hope is to expand in the little that we do and to continue to inspire. My biggest thing is inspiration, so I am trying to inspire everyone that is watching.”
The Star