Ntsiki Mazwai: I don't believe Twitter is my heart and soul

Before Ntando Duma and Emtee dominated our Twitter timelines with their spicy clapbacks and rants, Ntsiki Mazwai was the queen of the platform, now all that has changed as she embraces a new lease on life.

Once known for her airing her views on her pages and feuding with some of the most famous faces in Mzansi, Ntsiki said she has learnt to use her voice differently.

"I don't tweet so much anymore. I put it in my music now," she said in a recent chat with TshisaLIVE.

Ntsiki has cut down on Twitter before, when she spent a year completing her masters degree in creative writing from Rhodes University, and said that experience taught her to not take social media so seriously.

"When I was in Grahamstown, I wasn't so much on social media. It made me realise that it's actually not that serious. When I came back last year, I was on it for a bit but realised that the words I have to say have an impact. The only way that I can amplify those words and make them last longer is by putting them in my music. 

She said many of her comments were misunderstood and taken out of context, leading to her being criticised on the platform, but instead of getting frustrated by it, she had learnt to not take things too personally.

"Something that is hurtful energy will always hurt, but I have learnt to shield it. It is not personal. People stand their ground and I stand my ground. We have to respect that we can discuss things online and still go on and work together. But if I feel that things are getting too hectic I will block or get off Twitter. I don't believe Twitter is my heart and soul."

She has been putting her energy into her new album, set for release in April, and has been hard at work shooting music videos and promoting her new material with nationwide tours.

"It has been a lot of work because the album is completely independent. I have had to work on both the creative and business elements of the album, while also trying to empower people in my community."