Hip-hop Star Maraza Explains Why He Went Silent for Two Years

[Image Source: Ghgossip]

By Kinyua Mwangi

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Sphamandla Mhlongo popularly known by his stage name as Maraza sunk into depression which nearly consigned him into oblivion. Not much of him is said now yet, his star was shining bright five years ago when he did collaborations with the likes of Kwesta and C-Live.

Maraza fondly composed his lyrics in Fanagalo – a blend of Tsonga, isiZulu and Tswana. Maraza, 32, gained fame from his hit single ‘Gwan’ due to his creativity and gusto and all of a sudden, he went silent in 2019.

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He told Drum recently that he couldn’t handle all the attention that came with the fame. He was under a lot of pressure and before he knew it, he was off the limelight.

Maraza in 2020 released a new EP ‘Lost and Found’ but it was nothing close to what many expected. He admits that it was below per because he was unwell.

“When I dropped the EP I was already tired of the limelight. The album didn’t do well because I was not well. There was too much pressure for me to release music that sounded like my single Gwan,” he said.

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He explains that the pressure came from his busy schedule as he was always booked and “it triggered past issues that I thought I had dealt with. It triggered my depression.”

But, depression wasn’t a new thing to him; he knew he had it first during his wedding in 2015. He says that his father’s death in 1992 left him seeking validation so much that it plunged him into depression.

He managed to work on his mental wellness through therapy sessions and doing music by the side. He spent time with his family at home and was barely in the limelight until in 2016 when he released Gwan and depression came back.

“The fame took a toll on me,” he says. After two years of working on his mental wellness, he made a comeback with a new single ‘Ungithandile’ featuring Lilyfaith.