Mr Thela is excited to be playing two international gigs in the same year.
Hardwork and dedication have earned DJ and music producer Simphiwe Sihawu, popularly known as Mr Thela, another international gig.
He is due to leave on Thursday August 24 on a two-week trip to the UK where he will play at The Clapham Grand in Birmingham.
The soft-spoken 24-year-old, who hails from Samora Machel, began his music career in 2016.
He says he never anticipated that at this stage of his career he would have played two international gigs. In March this year, he was booked to headline a show in South Korea.
Having two international gigs within a space of five months, he says, is overwhelming.
He adds that he can see the hype from his supporters, management team and relatives.
Mr Thela says amapiona is currently a dominating genre but the fact that he has scored two international gigs means that people are slowly but surely warming up to gqom music.
"For me it was always my dream to perform internationally and I always used to tell people that I'm not only going to perform in South Africa only but I will one day perform overseas.
“But I never thought that at this stage of my career one of my dreams would turn into reality so quickly and I give praise to God for making it happen for me.
“I was told not to take music seriously but rather focus on my studies. I hope that these achievements give young and upcoming DJs encouragement that their dreams are valid and they are not impossible to achieve as much as they might look unachievable.
“I owe some of my success to people that opened their doors for me; some refused to allow me to DJ because I was just a kid and no one knew me but others gave me a chance.
“I never thought that my breakthrough would happen so early in my career but the God I praise works in mysterious ways.
“Indeed it is true that God’s timing is perfect and is always at the right moment. Even my mother can see that this is not just music to me but it is a calling.
“I was never mentored by anyone in the industry but because I believed in my dream of becoming a DJ, I worked extremely hard to make it," he said.
Mr Thela was raised by a mother who is a pastor and growing up he was a keyboard player at church.
But as he grew up, he started falling in love with deejaying, which did not sit well with his mother who feared that DJs played at nightclubs and taverns where people consumed alcohol. She feared for his safety and her reputation as a pastor.
However, his mother started realising that he was adamant about pursuing music and being a DJ.
He says his break in the industry came through when he released a song called Party together with Mshayi in 2020 around January just before lockdown. That song, he believes, formally introduced them to the industry.
In 2021, he was nominated for “best gqom album” at the South African Music Awards for the platinum-selling Make Cape Town Great Again. He collaborated on that album with musicians Mshayi and T-Man.
In November last year, released his first solo album, Tronics Land Series 1.
Recalling his ups and downs of his journey, he says in many instances he was denied an opportunity to DJ at taverns, pubs and events because he was not well known.
But that did very little to dampen his spirit and instead fuelled his passion for music more.
Talking about his music, he says the beats, sounds and lyrics come from how he feels at that particular time and he also uses his own life experience to make a song.
He is currently working on an album, which he hopes to release around November.
Mr Thela is confident that this is not his last international gig.
He states that in many instances your township will not really appreciate your craft while you are still climbing the ladder until someone else from another neighbourhood identifies your talent. But that should not be the case.
He described himself as a happy person and said through his music he aims to bring people together and create lasting memories in their lives.
His music caters for everyone and in the next two years he hopes to win a song of the year in the Metro Awards and perhaps get a SAMA award.
Despite having faced endless challenges in the industry, he says being able to scoop two international gigs remains the biggest achievement.