This is a moment to celebrate how far I’ve come
- Wits Alumni Relations
Motswedi Modiba says her latest wave of success is as a result of many years of hard work and dedicated teachers along the way.
Two years ago, Wits music graduate Motswedi Modiba (BMus 2021) was a regular in the practice room on the eighth floor of the Wits Music Department. Today she’s a breakout star on one of China’s largest reality TV shows, Sing! China, and wowing millions with her performances in Mandarin.
The 26-year-old, who won a Metro FM Music Award in May this year for Best New Age R&B Artist, says the current wave of success, is the culmination of years of hard work and preparation.
“I don’t think any success story is made overnight. I am no different. I still have a long way to go to reach my dream which is to become a world-wide known singer. I’ve spent many hours trying to hone this craft – my voice,” she says to Alumni Relations from New York.
“I started singing professionally when I was nine, since then I’ve sang with choirs, solo, I’ve been on tours, been a backing vocalist for some popular artists, joined small singing competitions. So, it has been a gradual kind of build-up,” she says. “This is a huge milestone and I’m so grateful for it and everybody’s support and kind words. I have a lot more to offer. But this is a moment to celebrate how far I’ve come.”
Modiba mastered Mandarin from the age of six, and matriculated from the Pretoria Chinese School, in Tshwane. “While I was in grade 11, I entered the Chinese Bridge Competition. I won the category for the best talent division – against 80 other countries – it was quite a big deal. South Africa was placed third overall and I got a scholarship to Yunnan Normal University in Kumming, China.”
Straight after matric she studied Chinese language and literature for a semester and returned to Wits to do her undergrade degree in music. She explains she took a gap year to create “MOE” – her R&B stage name and moved to the United States in 2022 to study towards her master’s in jazz voice at the Manhattan School of Music. The school, founded in 1917, has a conservatory especially respected for its jazz department, which has produced a long roster of notable alumni, including Harry Connick, Jr., Herbie Hancock, Hugh Masekela, and Herbie Mann.
Modiba has embraced being a global citizen, moving between New York, Shanghai and Johannesburg. “I am currently living in New York, but I am also competing in China for the competition. I’m in the process of releasing English/Mandarin songs because the market has really been kind to me because of the competition and I want to solidify the support base. I am also focusing on cultivating audiences in the US and South Africa to reach my dream of being a worldwide singer,” she says.
Watch her performance on Sing! China
“Living in China is very interesting and very fast paced. I’m learning two to three songs a night. Two days ago I was recording, shooting interviews and performing from 7am till 2am. It’s very demanding. The culture and food is different. At first I struggled, but I think I’m getting the hang of it now and it gets better each day. I am so grateful for the support of my family who are all in South Africa. Thank goodness for technology!"
Modiba has fond memories of Wits: “Chantal Willie-Petersen was my vocal coach – she really changed my life – helped me make sense of my voice. She moulded my voice. She has this ability to know how to bring the best out of you with so much grace. Her late husband, Andre, was also a lecturer. I am so grateful for them because they changed my life. I went through a lot while I was at Wits and knowing that there were lecturers who really supported me was critical. They put in a good word, wrote referrals and spent hours and hours training me. Being able to study at Manhattan School of Music is because of them. They planted the idea and motivated me. Definitely, Wits was an incredible experience.
“David Couzens, as well, was an accompanist from when I started until the end. These people were in the thick of it when I was really training my voice. I am eternally grateful for them. I think anyone who comes across their paths, will definitely have a beautiful story to tell.”