Her album, titled My Story, is all about her journey. Gospel singer and the newest member of Spirit Of Praise Shekinah 'Sheky' Motsa, says her breakthrough came after years of hardship, hard work, and almost giving up.

A NEW MEMBER

In May, she was officially introduced as a member of the gospel choir Spirit of Praise at the recording of their 10th album edition. "I was really not expecting it. When I got the call, I did not believe it. A huge shoutout to whoever suggested me there. My music journey has been a very beautiful story,' she said. "It came with so many challenges, but we stayed strong and kept persevering. The biggest challenge I have faced is rejection and being compared to other artists. Whenever I knocked on certain doors requesting assistance, they would reject me and tell me I was not good enough,' Shekinah said.

SUICIDE ATTEMPT

She said her album, which she released in 2022, was very close to her heart. "People close to me know how I have to fight so hard to achieve certain goals or things in life,' she added. "I literally fight for everything. There is a song in the album titled Ngiphefumlele, which I wrote after an attempt to take my life because I felt I was tired of fighting,' she said, adding that it was in 2019 when she was feeling empty. "I was tired of fighting for my career and success. I was in my room at school, and I gathered pills and was ready to take them,' she said. "I walked to the bathroom, and when I got there, I met a lady called Mbali who asked me if I was okay, and even though I answered that I was okay, I knew she could see I was not okay. I think that woman saved my life; I didn't go ahead with it; she stayed with me the whole night,' said Shekinah.

HARDSHIPS

In 2016, Shekinah auditioned for Women in Praise but was not successful. She then joined a local gospel group called Swazi Praise. "That audition was my first, and I vowed it would be my last, as it broke me,' she says. "From that audition, I really got to see how much people loved and supported me because when they announced the winner, people were ready to fight.' Since then, she has been performing at various events as a solo artist, which earned her the Best Gospel Artist of the Year for 2020 and 2021 at the Social Media Awards. She started singing in church with two friends as a trio in 2005. "It was such a great time. That's actually where I discovered and believed I could actually hold a note,' she said.