Visit any nightclub and you will hear his song playing. There is hardly a local gathering in Mzansi where his Amapiano song Paris with artists Q-Mark and Afriikan Papi is not played. Artist TPzee real name,Thapelo Monyela, had released other songs in the past but he became an overnight sensation after the release of the single Paris in October 2021 and started trending from January 2022.

SPENDING ON LUXURIES

They signed a five-year contract with Cloud Nine, which has a joint venture with Sony Music and are left with two years after which he still needs to release five other projects. At the height of their career, which was short-lived, they travelled across the continent. "We gigged a lot, we travelled Tanzania, Nigeria, Botswana and then things went quiet last year November,' she says. When things were still good, the record company advised them to leave Soweto and rent an apartment in Bramley where they paid rent. "We were gigging every weekend, sometimes five times a night and each gig paid us R45 000 which we would split among the three of us. When I went to gigs alone, I got R25 000. So we could afford it. I was sending money home for my three kids. But things became bad in November,' he says. "We stopped getting gigs completely and we had to think of other ways of making money.'

WASHING CARS

The three of them thought if they went solo, they would make more money. "We thought going solo would alleviate us splitting the little we were now getting,' he says. "Still nothing. We opened a car wash that was a flop. Staff would sometimes not come. We washes the cars ourselves and people would judge us for being one-hit wonders. So, we had to close shop,' he adds. Tpzee owes the label a few joint projects and solos. "I had to leave Bramley and go back to Soweto. I feel like a failure. People still judge. At the moment, I am surviving on making music at home for people and performances here and there but it's not like before. I will not lie, I have been depressed but I know things will work out.'

LEARNING FROM MISTAKES

TPzee somewhat blames himself and hopes to rectify some of the mistakes he made. "I think I got too excited. Fame swallowed me,' he says. "The lifestyle killed me. We were buying clothes, your Gucci, you name it. You know Piano culture. We were drinking every day, we bought phones and they would get lost and stolen. I have spent over R700 000 on nothing.' TPzee has three children that he was supporting and still depend on him. "I would send money home. I still do, but times are tough.' TPzee is set to receive his first royalties payout. "I hope to fix some of my mistakes once I get the royalties payout.'

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