A South African up-and-coming Afro-pop singer, Mduduzi Ncube, says his passion for music as well as belief in God, helped him recover from a four-year substance addiction.
The 26-year-old, known for his hit track “Isiginci,” revealed that redemption from the addiction came after he was gifted a guitar in 2017.
Ncube, who hails from Hammarsdal in KwaZulu-Natal, said he started abusing substance 15, sniffing glue.
He explained that peer pressure led him astray, making him dependent on the streets despite having a home.
However, his life changed when he found faith in God, and after his music career kicked off after DJ Tira discovered him in 2019.
Reflecting on his solitary childhood, he said music was his solace.
His words:
“Peer pressure will make you do things. I started sniffing glue from 2013 to 2017. I was addicted to it and in a way, I had given my life to the streets even though I had a home.
“My life started taking form when I met Jesus at church. I remember waking up and making the decision to give my life to God and I haven’t looked back since.
“Instead of sniffing the drug, I started playing my guitar that a friend of mine gifted me – it became my new passion and helped me to stop sniffing the glue. I’ve been clean for almost seven years now.
“I grew up as more of a loner. I found music to be my hero and I’d always sing whenever I’d sit alone in the classroom during break.
“I remember a girl once told me I had a soft singing voice and somehow that gave me courage and made me realise that I probably could sing. This compliment also encouraged me to sing in assembly… which is how I honed my talent.
“When I met Tira and started recording music, I thought my life would get better but Covid hit me hard and I had to go back to hustling back on the streets but this time I told myself I wouldn’t go back to sniffing glue, instead I’ll keep a strong faith in God and sang in the streets until something happened,” he recounted.
The singer said after several setbacks, he reached out to rapper Big Zulu on Instagram. This bold move led him to become the first artist signed to Zulu’s independent label, Inkabi Records.