Morris Mabasa, better known as MC Mabasa from the award-winning traditional Tsonga band, MC Mabasa and the Shigombe Sisters, would like to pass his singing and guitar-playing skills on to young people so that the Tsonga culture and traditions should not be forgotten.
Mabasa was born and raised in Muswane village, outside Malamulele. He started singing back in 1983 and recorded his first album, Makhelwane (neighbour) in 1990, after being inspired by veteran Tsonga artists Elias Baloyi and Thomas Chauke. This year, he is to release his 31st album.
MC Mabasa and the Shigombe Sisters comprise of himself as lead singer and composer, and his backing vocalists Alinah Mabasa, Ivy Baloyi, Nomsa Baloyi and Thandy Baloyi. In 2022, the band won the Best Duo Group award at the Xitsonga Music awards.
But Mabasa said that, for many local artists, it is not easy to follow a music career. "We might release a hot new album today, and tomorrow you find it being copied and sold for as cheap as R10. (This is called 'amaten ten'). The music industry is suffering because of these people who sell unauthorized copies of our songs for next to nothing, leaving us as poor as when we started," he said.
Mabasa has his own recording studio at his home in Muswane village and he invited young aspirant singers to visit him and learn how he works in his studio.
For recording and live performances, MC Mabasa can be contacted on 076 1507 440.