Eastern Cape-born Asanda Mabengwana was once a young person with a dream of making it in the cut-throat music industry.
Today, he is a business mogul, helping up-and-coming artists realise their dreams.
Mabengwana, who hails from Bhisho but is based in Gauteng, is the founder of Asanda Empires, a recording label established in 2016, whose artists are soaring in the demanding entertainment industry.
A former member of the trailblazing kwaito music group, Trybe, in the 1990s, famous for their hit song Diba Diba and Madau, Mabengwana traded the stage for the boardroom, transforming himself into a powerhouse in the global music industry.
The recording label, based in Sandton and Los Angeles, has a global footprint and has signed groundbreaking artists such as Sosoboy Fosho, ARTeast and Izinkabi Zesgodi.
In an exclusive interview at his Sandton home recently, Mabengwana said the transition from music to business had been eye-opening for him.
“I got to learn a lot. I understood music and business. I have faced a lot of challenges, but if you really want something, you keep going.
“We started in East London, and we pushed and moved to Joburg, and I opened a branch in LA because of the relationship with Sony,” Mabengwana said.
The record label has a distribution partnership with Sony in the US.
Mabengwana said the partnership taught him how to make money from music without a song even being a hit.
“It would frustrate me to know I have got artists but none of them has a hit song,” he said.
The Eastern Cape has seen a fair share of brain drain due to lack of resources and exposure.
Mabengwana said the secret to making it in the cut-throat music industry was to improve the quality of an artist’s product.
Once the product was strong, it would speak for itself, he said.
“If you still feel you need money [to succeed], you might be lacking somewhere.
“If you know you don’t have resources, you need to keep training yourself to be the best at what you are doing, then you will shine, and people will notice you.
“If you are sitting there waiting for resources, it means your skills will diminish.
“It is very important to look at your chances of making it and what you have to offer. If you see you can stand, go for it,” he said.
Melodies were what appealed to him in an artist, Mabengwana said, referencing his latest find, Mdantsane-born new music sensation Sosoboy Fosho, whose real name is Sonwabile Madonela.
Madonela was signed by the recording label in 2025, but is already making waves in the country’s entertainment scene.
“That is why I liked him from the first 30 seconds [when he listened to his song before signing him] because the melodies were on point. Melodies are the most difficult part of the artistry.
“This is one of the industries that is difficult to get into because you are trying to make it public, and there is so much negativity. You are struggling, and there is too much saying no.
“When you are studying to be a lawyer or doctor, nobody knows. When you are trying to sing, everybody knows and people laugh at you.
“I give it up to people like Soso who kept going. It’s not an easy journey, especially for an artist.”
As an artist who understands the music industry and how artists are exploited, he ensures artists signed under him are treated well.
“One of the things I have always thought was that if I were to become a record label owner, I would rectify those things so that I could make other people’s dreams come true,” he said.
Daily Dispatch
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.