Interviews
Meet Sheen Skaiz
Sindy Peters | 19 Jun 2014 12:10 PM
He's a rapper, producer, singer-songwriter - Sheen Skaiz (pronounced 'skies') started his musical journey at 14. After overcoming some very trying obstacles and almost throwing in the towel, he won the opportunity to work with award-winning producer Justin de Nobrega in the 2013 Jägermeister Back the Artist competition.
Skaiz is currently working on his debut EP which is due for release shortly. Each track will feature its own music video shot by Skaiz himself. He also plans on doing a three-city tour to Joburg, Cape Town and Durban, but his main goal at this stage is to build his fan-base and take his music internationally.
Becoming a rapper
It all started when Skaiz discovered Mixman on his brother's computer, started messing around and created his own beats. It was at this point that he became obsessed with creating music.
"I was obsessed with being a DJ, I wanted to be a huge DJ at that time, like the next Steve Aoki or the next Deadmau5. I just kept making beats from that date onward," explains Skaiz.
He later discovered another programme called Fruity Loop, and that's when everything started falling in place. During his college years he started DJ-ing at local clubs, and was soon contacted by producer Sketchy Bongo who needed some beats. It was at the studio that he discovered his talent for rapping.
"I rocked up at the studio... and he was recording rappers at the time. I was listening to a lot of the rappers and I was like 'Ah, these guys are not so good - I could probably rap better than them.' So he challenged me - he was like 'Ok, let's do something,' and from that stage onward, I wasn't Sheen Skaiz the DJ anymore, I was Sheen Skaiz the rapper," he says.
Hitting the wall
Sheen Skaiz the rapper went on to win Back the Artist in 2013 but his journey was not without its trials and tribulations. Being an artist in South Africa takes some real grit, and Skaiz admits that it's been a hustle. He's actually a qualified designer and spent a lot of the money he made while freelancing on promoting his music. The passion for a 'normal' lifestyle just wasn't there, but finances became an issue...
"I was at a stage where you go through this whole thought process of, 'Why am I doing this? What is the point? Where do I want to be?' I was getting to that stage where I was like, 'Could I take it anymore?'... Music is just stressful at times - especially when you're not getting where you want want to be at a fast pace. It was a big test... But then I would go back and be like, 'No, I'm gonna push it, this is me, this is who I am - I can't do anything else.' And then Jägermeister came and changed everything..." explains Skaiz.
Working with DJ Hi-tek
After releasing Drangz and Brangz, the official song for Durban's Colour Fest last year, things started taking off. He entered the competition with no expectations of winning, but merely as another avenue to push his music. Winning has resulted in a few more doors opening for Sheen Skaiz; he now gets studio time with Justin de Nobrega aka DJ Hi-tek who's worked with the likes of Die Antwoord and Jack Parow.
"That guy is crazy in the studio - he works like super-fast," says Skaiz, describing what it's like working with de Nobrega. "We initially had five tracks that we completed with my producer Sketchy Bongo and myself... We gave it to Justin and then he just did his thing on every track and chopped and changed and added things and took things to the next level.
"The experience was crazy - just sitting in the studio for two weeks and working everyday on music - you can't ask for anything better. That could be my life every single day, which I can achieve right now. That's the life - that's what I want to do," says Skaiz.
Get obsessed
Sheen Skaiz is now very close to achieving his dream, but it took a lot of perseverance to get to where he is right now. A career in the music industry is not for the weak-willed.
"It's just all about pushing things to the next limit, and working harder than you ever did. When you're a kid, you think you're just gonna release one song, and you're gonna blow up and be a musician, but it's not like that at all - it's the total opposite of that. You need endless hours in the craft; you need to be obsessive about your craft.
Due to drop in August/September 2014, expect a lot of South African slang on the EP, but the sound, Skaiz promises, is "totally international".
[Sindy Peters]
Sindy Peters is a content curator and creator who's got a nose for a good story. She's been banging on that keyboard for eight years and still hasn't turned square-eyed. She lives off good music, and envisions a South Africa where local musicians are able to turn their passion into a healthy, sustainable career.
