The beautiful Kalanga young woman from Zwenshambe says the competition came at an opportune time for her following years abroad. “A friend sent me a post of an advert about the roadshow on WhatsApp and encouraged me to sign up for the competition. After much consideration, I decided not to let the opportunity pass me. I had been finding ways to set foot in the music industry of Botswana as I had been living outside the country for 12 years, so the roadshow came at an opportune time. I contested from Tlokweng, the district I reside in. I am born into a family of six and my parents are Stanley and Margaret Mapiki,” she said. She also said she has been singing for as long as she was conscious of herself, from primary school all through to high school. She added that she joined little events and talent shows and sang. However, she added that she took it more seriously when she was at university where she also had her first studio recording session. Furthermore, Wada Soulstress stated that singing always felt like an innate thing she was supposed to do.
She explained that the first time she listened to Lauryn Hill on a record, she felt a strong connection to her and knew that she also wanted to be a singer. Speaking of the competition, she said it was an absolute delight to be a part of it, from meeting DJ Fresh and his team to the insightful workshops about the business side of music to the challenges of collaborating with fellow contestants under the pressure of time. She added that it was all worth the experience saying it was an amazing, feeling to see how she came out victorious at each cutoff point. “I feel blessed to have been voted for and seen worthy to soar even higher on my musical journey. The sky is really the limit. I walked away with a brand-new Polo Vivo! I was awarded P15,000 for ‘Best Styled’, a one year recording deal, a management contract with DJ Fresh, and music video production by Cosign as well a wardrobe revamp from Lamar Clothing. DJ Fresh was kind enough to fund the Top five with EP productions. The music is ready for release, just stay tuned! You will be seeing more of me,” she excitedly stated.
However, she said the win did not come on a silver platter, as it was an intense experience, competing against immensely talented contestants who were just as dedicated to their craft as she was. She said her challenge was keeping calm and composed while working under pressure. To overcome them, she said she had to make sure to always regroup and constantly check in with herself. “It was God’s will to shine His light on me. One instrumental thing I learnt is that it takes a whole team, a whole village, to create a superstar. You cannot do it alone. You need to collaborate to create a masterpiece. There were so many pieces that were put together to create a beautiful song. During the competition and boot camp, I learned how to control and handle emotions under pressure. I have my debut single from 2020 called Magnet. This is the song I performed to enter the DBS competition, and I have my new single Sebaka (produced by DJ Skizoh BW). It is in the upcoming EP that is to be released very soon,” said Wada Soulstress.
Furthermore, she pointed out that she lived in Moscow, Russia, for 12 years where most of her performances were. She said she performed at the Nigerian pre-game at the 2018 World Cup, Moscow Afro Awards and opened up for acts Kiss Daniel and Timaya. As she has only been back in Botswana for about a year, she said she had not performed in many events as yet but was hopeful to find herself on the lineups of many events from now onwards. However, she performed for intimate sets such as ‘The Perfect Noise’, ‘Music with Coffee’ and had her own hour set for ‘Dubsets.’
