I made my first million at 15, says Mshoza

Kwaito musician Mshoza has lived most of her life in the spotlight since bursting into the entertainment industry as a young dancer on Jam Alley.

Mshoza, who has often hogged headlines for her skin bleaching, was a young teenager when she made her debut on the hit SABC 1 TV dance competition. Within eight months she had signed a record deal with Bull Dawgs Entertainment - a move she says helped contribute to her making her first million at the tender age of 15.

"I was ambitious. I used to tell my mom that rich people do not wake up before ten and that when I am rich she must not wake me before then. Then I became rich. I went to Jam Alley. Trust me, they used to give us so much money in boxes. I didn't even know how much money there was. From there, I got a record deal. It was all happening for me. I had made my first million at 15 (years old)," Mshoza told TshisaLIVE in an interview.

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The star admitted that she did not know where the money went or what it was spent on.

"I don't know how I dealt with the temptation of having all that money or where that money went. I bought cars. I crashed cars. I didn't even have a licence," Mshoza added.

Luckily, she had a management team that shielded her from many of the trappings of fame, imposing a curfew on her. "I wasn't allowed to drink or smoke or even go out after eight at night. They couldn't tell me how to spend my money, but they tried to keep me away from blowing it on drugs and booze," Mshoza said.

Sadly, as her career blossomed, so did rumours of her alleged drug use and alcoholism.

"I've never had a drug addiction. I am crazy, I know, but I am on a natural high. I don't do drugs. I laugh at it because people think that I am on drugs," Mshoza said.

Mshoza revealed that in those turbulent days she held onto the advice of her friends and mentors Brenda Fassie and Lebo Mathosa. Both stars passed away (Fassie in 2004 and Mathosa in 2006) leaving her "feeling completely alone and without a single friend in the world".

"I still talk to sis' Lebo. I still ask her for advice. I know she would be here for me and fighting for me, if she was still here. After Brenda died, me and Lebo became closer, like sisters," Mshoza said.

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Friendless and misunderstood, Mshoza decided to tell her truths and struggles through music. She released a new single, Abantu Bam, late last year which she claimed was "like a therapy session and mini autobiography".

"One person who thinks like me is Beyoncé because her album is also really personal.  It tells her story through music. That is me, I tell my story through music - and now everyone is listening," Mshoza said.