He has been kicked out of the record label house and is currently couch-surfacing with friends. GqomTech/Dance singer and producer Sykes was promised the heavens by Emazulwini Productions, owned by Nomcebo Zikode and her husband Selwyn Fraser. The iNkanyezi singer is said to have left and started afresh after a massive fallout.

GONE

Real name Ayabonga Zuma, Sykes (23) is said to have left Emazulwini Productions about a month ago after just a year at the label. Sykes debuted his music career in June 2023 with the release of his single Sisekani Babies. "The song became massive in the streets; by the time he was signed to Emazulwini, his brand had already grown. They took him in and promised to make his career a success,' an insider revealed to ZiMoja. "Sykes has not been happy at the label for a while and felt stagnant. Not much was being done for him, to be honest. They have not been getting many bookings. He has been sitting, working on amazing music, but there is no activity in his life. He was depressed. So, he wanted a way out," the insider said.

NO BAD BLOOD

Since joining the label, Sykes was nominated for the Best New Artist and Best Kwaito/Gqom categories at last year's Metro FM Awards. "He has been wanting to leave since then,' the friend said. "He has not been happy for some time. He planned to part ways with them since the Metros. When he said he wanted to leave, they refused,' added the friend. The label owner, Selwyn, has confirmed that Sykes has indeed left the label. "There was no malice or fight. He decided to leave, and we are dealing with the matter internally. We are trying to resolve it in the most professional way and going through the contract. Sykes was like a brother to me; we treated him like an egg at the time and we achieved a lot in the short space of time that he was with us. Success is not an overnight thing and we did a lot of great things together. We want to go about this the right way, shake hands and move on," Selwyn said. Skyes did not wish to comment on the matter.