Known for his bubbly aura and loud personality through the Ukhozi FM airwaves, it is highly impossible to ignore his passion for the industry and the blessings 2018 has bestowed upon him.
So grab a chair and join us as we share ‘The Year of Selbeyonce’.
Who is Selby ‘Selbeyonce’’ Mkhize, give us a brief snippet of yourself?
Who do you think I am?… (silence)….. instant chuckles across the room.. “Selby Mkhize, who am I? Well I am a fun, loving, caring, loud ambitious person. I love music and people. I can’t live without people whether they do good or bad too me – I still love them anyway. I love my family and that’s just who I am”.
“I just had a love for the Art from a young age. I was always in stage plays, school concerts, speech contests, debates ‘even though I wasn’t big on them’ and made group leader in the drama class. I was always doing something which placed me on a stage and I loved the compliments I would receive from my peers and teachers.
“I grew up watching the ‘Old YO.TV’ with Psyfo, Carly, Sade and Cecilla and thought to myself, I want to be just like them. I really don’t know what brought upon the desire but I believe it was a God- given challenge I took on,” he explains.
“Further explore, let me see?… You have actually named it all! But I would love to explore singing. Once I get a vocal coach and work on my voice, I would love to seriously pursue singing. I would also like to venture more into television presenting with all my heart. It’s actually my first love”.
“It was absolutely amazing! When you get a phone call like: ‘Listen we want you to be one of the MC’s for #fillupmosesmabhida’, you just want to drop everything you are doing. Despite the pay, the fact that you receive a call like that is a dream.
“Fill Up is a movement, it’s not just a concert. One of the things Somizi Mhlongo said on that very stage – ‘it is about your dreams coming true’ and they certainly do!
“Sometimes you ask yourself, ‘is this really happening’ and then you enter that stage and do your job. Its about humbling yourself and that’s how people will genuinely love you”, he shares.
“I have been working with such awesome people who have come to recognize who I am. When people see you at these award shows and they ask: ‘Who is Selbeyonce Mkhize, we always see you at these award shows’, Then you recieve a nomination and it’s like: ‘This guy must be doing something good’.
“Taking a flight to the award show and meeting different people within the field who actually get to know you a bit better and realise there’s more to Selbeyonce than his radio show is extraordinary. It’s all about networking”!
“I wouldn’t know how to explain this year. In the beginning of the year (2nd January 2018) I lost my significant other. Every single thing I have accomplished together with my success, he was meant to be apart of, alongside me. Half of the year I had no idea who I was and I think about him every single day of my life especially now that it is the festive season.
“But with regards to other highlights: The DSTVMVCA Awards is one, being on Afternoon express, I’m sure I have forgotten something but there has just been so many. Every single day is an actual highlight,” he explains.
“I wouldn’t say I have a specific inspiration. I look at everyone around me and admire everyone’s individual look or style. People are beautiful out there, people are not sleeping on themselves. The game has changed, everybody is gorgeous, everyone is embracing their bodies.
“I don’t have someone in particular I look up too but I acknowledge how everyone around me is beautiful and the manner in which they dress/style themselves,” he says.
“Definitely my cellphone, my perfume, bubblegum and water”!
“It is not a quote but it’s something I have told myself which is:‘I am alone on this earth and no will will take care of me besides me’. My parents are deceased and I have had the duty to look after myself since Grade 11. You only have yourself and one chance because life is short.
There’s no boundaries of working too much. Work hard to the point where you don’t even have to introduce yourself,” he says.
Any Future plans or endeavors we can look out for in 2019?
“I really don’t know, I have no idea what’s in-store or too expect. I really want to do more Television work. I have a feeling something might come up whether big or small and I am going to run with it. I remember a time where I was in love with ‘Generations’ and I told myself that I have to be on it and luckily all of that happened.
“A role was created for me and my character died but it’s okay because that role is currently within my resume,which goes back to what I said; No matter how big or small a gig is, it means a lot”.
