Sjava isn't bothered by people's opinions of his dress sense

There's no doubt that Sjava is a multi-talented national treasure and despite his international fame, there's a couple of things he's not willing to compromise on, like staying true to himself and not being bullied to "slay".

In an interview with TshisaLIVE, Sjava explained that he is grateful to have entered the industry when he was older because he can see right through the bulls*** and meaningless standards of celebs.

"I think it was an advantage on my part that I entered into this industry already matured and having observed what happens from the outside. If you are an artist, you are expected to never repeat clothes and to buy new clothes all the time ... But in reality that is my shirt, you know. Why must I be told how many times to wear it? There's no way that I can slay every day. That's just unnecessary pressure."

Sjava said he'd rather be known for repeating outfits or not having combed his hair than make headlines because he owes a designer a certain amount of money he can't pay back.

He believes that external pressure to look a certain way because you are a "celebrity" is fuelled by "celebrities" who keep complying to it.

"If I have one suit only, I will wear it repeatedly. What else must I do? I won't be that guy running around from designer to designer begging for clothes I can't afford. That's how we always find people making the papers – for owing designers post events like Durban July and such. 

"For me, it's simple. Just put on what you have and go to that event. At the same time, I want to be known for the music and nothing else."

Sjava, who wrote Amanda Black's popular song, Kahle, explained that the song was one of the ways in which he encouraged people not to make others their benchmark for their body shapes or what they wear.

He said when he wrote the song, he wanted to give a different perspective on how people can choose to look at themselves.

"Most of the time people would rather make songs about sexy girls and small waists and such. Not many people focus on the fact that a woman or a man can just gain weight because she's happy and content. Sometimes, it really isn't about anything else but happiness and being content with your body. So I wrote Kahle (Amanda Black's song) for people who are just happy with who and what they are."

Sjava, whose album, Umqele, has been topping music charts, said it's proof that real fans don't care about all the frills. Instead, they are here for the music.