Tsonga Prince dancing to his own Afrobeats
Henny C says road hasn’t been easy
Tsonga music is usually associated with xibelani dance, but a young Limpopo crooner proves that it can be romantic.
Henny Chauke, nicknamed Henny C, is hailed as the Tsonga Prince.
The 32-year-old from Mphambo village in Malamulele started singing in the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) church and later released a couple of gospel albums with no success. But he won the best male artist award at the South African Upcoming Artists Awards (Sauma).
After some introspection, he changed tack and stepped out of his comfort zone to launch a career in Afrobeat.
His first album was released last year with the hit song Lovola Money (bride price). The song has become the preferred choice at weddings and propelled Henny C’s star to the top.
“I think Lovola Money will dominate for years to come, even though I’m releasing my new album in less than 10 days.
“I was working under a lot of pressure, because of Lovola Money,” Henny C says.
Henny C Tsonga Prince Revived, the 17-track upcoming album, features hits like Follow, Ganga Mina and Golide. It’s produced by Dumenter Music, a Polokwane-based stable he’s signed to.
“I feel revived after my earlier failures with gospel music, hence the title. Gospel is good news and good news can come in any beat,” he says.
“The only strange thing was finding myself performing in certain places [rather than in church]. I had to adjust.”
Like most up-and-coming artists, Chauke has had his fair share of challenges including his struggle to find places to sell his music.
“I had some shops in Giyani and also on iTunes and Google Play. It will be better with the new album, because even Cash Converters in Polokwane have come on board.
“It hasn’t been an easy road. I would like to thank my parents Elias Mapantsula and Grace Chauke. I’m also grateful to my wife Janine. I found her before I could find myself in music.
“It’s also not easy working with a company that’s still on the ground itself, but we are growing together.
“In fact, Dumi Shirinda, the owner of Dumenter, has been taking money out of his own pocket to fund my projects. So we are dependent on live performances.
“We believe that one day I will be a big success, a Tsonga Prince with cash as well.”