At present, this brother has the number one song in the land as far as digital streaming charts go.
Mnqobi Zulu who is known on stage and beats as Exoh_za is a 26-year-old musician with a hunger for stardom.
He grew up in the small town of Carolina in Mpumalanga.
“It is the last town before you enter Eswatini from the Oshoek border post,” he expounds.
This young hitmaker has been an artist since 2014. “But I was discovered at the Rainbow Nation Festival in December 2023, where we were invited to showcase our talents in a studio at The Bears Palace, I was then signed in January by The Bears Palace and immediately started recording my first project.”
The name Exoh comes from the name Exodus which he was given by his grandmother.
“Every day at home we all had to pick a verse to read each day and explain how we understand it, I was always lazy and picked a verse from the book of Exodus every day until my grandmother gave me the nickname 'Exodus', so the name Exoh is short for Exodus.”
Music has always been his dream and Exoh has tried so many times to get opportunities.
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“But there are no opportunities available where we come from. When The Bears Palace in Carolina started doing festivals two years ago in partnership with Mailbox Media, I knew that opportunities were going to get closer to us in our small town, little did I know that they would open a music recording wing that eventually gave me the record deal.”
His passion for the arts reeled him closer to his dreams and this stemmed from his talents with the pen and pad in hand.
“I started doing poetry at a young age, I then took part in poetry and singing competitions for my school. I proceeded to become a DJ before deciding to focus on writing and performing music.
“I look up to people like Cassper Nyovest and I am inspired by the late Mpura and Killer Kau, when I met them a few years ago they inspired me to never give up and trust the processes.”
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Exoh loves it when people appreciate his music.
On 3 May 2024, his first single Lalela was at number one on digital music platforms.
“That feeling of people appreciating my art and creation is really inspiring and that is one of the aspects I enjoyed.”
He paired the song with visuals and the shoot had a few people of significance in attendance.
“The video shoot which was attended and supported by popular social media personalities and is due for release on 15 May 2024, that kind of support makes me believe that I am on the right path, he explains with an air of gratitude.”
That aspect of the music games Exoh is pleased to be around and experience but there are some things he has seen as he has risen that maybe the industry could do without or change.
“I see a lot of people start from nothing like me and when they become something in life, they get dragged down in a very nasty manner, they no longer enjoy a private life and are always targeted to be dragged down, that is the one aspect that I do not look forward to. I just want to be treated like a professional in the industry I am in and keep my private life private.”
He is currently in the studio and has plans to do features with multiple artists and producers to build a commercially viable project that is proudly South African and can be enjoyed by the rest of the world.
“My single Lalela/Bears Palace which is currently number one in SA is available on all digital platforms. Look out for the music video which is dropping on Wednesday 15 May 2023. A big thank you to The Bears Palace for bringing opportunities closer to home.”
