Ex-convict on mission to pick up where he left off
AFTER spending six years in jail, former Denim star Leonard Moloi says he is now ready to kick-start his solo career.
Moloi, 45, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for killing a nightclub patron in 2005, an incident he regards as “a mistake ”.
Moloi says he wrote a letter to the family, which was published by one of the newspapers. “In the letter, I showed remorse and apologised for what happened. I met the guy ’ s uncle and we speak to each other. ” The shooting took place outside The Rock nightclub in Rockville, Soweto.
The ex-offender served half of the sentence and got out on parole in August 2012. He has been under the radar since coming out, but now the R&B star is picking up the pieces and rebuilding his music career.
While inside, Moloi sayd he did a lot of introspection. “I knew that I had music talent but I realised that talent alone would not take me far. That is why I registered with Unisa to learn to write music.”
He has one module left to complete the jazz studies certificate.
When we visited the ever-young Moloi at his home in Soweto, he was preparing some songs. His album, titled will be released next month. He says his sound is a mix of R&B, pop and a bit of jazz.
A quick listen indicates that Moloi has gone back to the original sound of Denim. On his album, he talks about relationships, continues to spread love and looks at life in general. “I am ready to face the world again. Most importantly, I cannot wait to share my music with the people and show them what I can do,” he says.
As much as his music is full of love, Moloi finds it hard to practise what he preaches in his songs. He admits that he struggles to communicate his feelings to his partners, and he ends up hurting them. He says it is a weakness that he is working on. Most of the songs on the album were written while he was in jail. He also worked with a prison jazz band. By the time of his release, he had written 37 songs.
Apart from his music career, Moloi has appeared in local film about HIV/Aids which aired last week on Mzansi Magic. Moloi also wrote three songs for the film ’ s soundtrack.
He is a father of seven, four boys and three girls, and four of them pursue music careers. Moloi ’ s career started in 1992 at Mapetla High School where he met fellow bandmates Baldwin Manye, Bobo Seritsane aka Bo, and Tumi Mashego.
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