Musa Keys shares how he didn’t think he was ‘good enough’ as a singer

While he may be a big deal as far as amapiano vocalists are concerned, Musa Keys has revealed he didn’t always think he had what it takes to make music people would love.

In an interview with TshisaLIVE, the Wena hitmaker said his confidence wasn’t always on a high with his voice or what he can offer to the world.

“I never sang at church but that’s where I started playing piano. I never thought I was good enough for church. I thought maybe my voice was not good enough like everyone on stage. I even went as far as asking guys who were in the band how do they do it. They don’t sound amazing, but they sing.”

“Where do they get the confidence to be in front of people and listen to themselves sound like that? I had to build a lot of confidence in studio. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out my voice, and how to deliver my voice.

“I feel like I can do anything. Some people went to training to be able to sing like Alicia Keys . She was not a great singer, but she was trained to be a great singer, so I felt if Alicia could be taught I can definitely be taught too.”

Musa has a checklist when it comes to his image. 

It’s the drip, charm and confidence elements that are important in building brand Musa Keys.

Growing up, he was a child who dabbled in everything so the confidence to do anything stems from his childhood, and a lot influence came from his love for fashion and curiosity about the world. 

“When I was young I tried to do everything.  I would try to learn what works and what didn’t. But even if it didn’t work, I would kind of figure that out. I loved watching celebrities I used to look up to. They  had ‘that thing’.

“I always convinced myself the only reason they are making it so big is because their drip is too much. When I watched interviews, interviewers would highlight that they looked pretty and I thought ‘that’s the catch, that’s where we are winning. That’s when I decided to fall in and step into that.”

Musa loves creativity and said he is inspired by seeing people work. It’s his observation of the music industry globally that has got him to where he is . 

“I’m influenced by local music because that’s where amapiano comes from.  There was a time I was influenced by Scorpion King Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa, and then it got to a place where I was, the sound is going to grow big and it’s gonna go global and how do I make it understandable.

“How do I make it one language in the same way you and I use English to communicate. I wanted to make English in music form. I had to understand and listen to a lot of people. To get inspiration I listened to a lot of artists who are not from the piano scene to try to hear what would accommodate other countries in this sound.”