Young Stunna

Last updated

Young Stunna
Birth nameSandile Msimango
Born (1997-11-17) November 17, 1997 (age 26)
Daveyton, Gauteng, South Africa
OriginSouth Africa
Genres Amapiano
Occupation(s)Singer
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2021–present
LabelsPiano Hub

Sandile Fortune Msimango, popularly known by his stage name Young Stunna is a South African singer. He is known for his hit singles "Bopha" and "Adiwele". He has also extensively worked with record producers DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small. Young Stunna is Xhosa and uses Xhosa and Zulu in most of his songs. [1]

Contents

Stunna's debut studio album Notumato (2021), reached number 1 in South Africa. Notumato became his first commercially successful album and certified Platinum by Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA).

Education

He attended Benoni West Primary and Lee Rand High School in Benoni. He completed his matric at Unity Secondary School in Daveyton. [2]

Early life

Young Stunna was born in Daveyton, South Africa and grew up in a Christian family and often sang in the church choir. His mother was a vocalist and his father owned a tavern which had a jukebox. Spending time at the tavern on weekends exposed him to all types of genres, including RnB and Kwaito. [2]

Career

He started making music at the age 13 and took the decision to pursue music as a career. He was initially a hip-hop musician from 2012 before switching to amapiano. He got the name Young Stunna from his fans in Daveyton where he grew up. [3] He rose to fame earlier in 2021 as part of the piano hub roster-when he featured on Felo Le Tee and Mellow & Sleazy's smash amapiano hit, "Bopha". [4]

In October 2021, he released his debut album, Notumato which features South African musicians DJ Maphorisa, Blxckie, Sizwe Alakaine, and Kabza De Small. [5] The album debuted number 1 and certified Platinum by Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA). [6]

His single "Adiwele" reached number 1 across SA radio with a total 23.4 million impressions. [4]

Towards the end of April 2022, Stunna was featured by Spotify on Spotify documentary Freedom Sounds: From Kwaito to Amapiano. [7]

In August 2023, Stunna announced his upcoming second studio album and its lead single "uNonkosi". The song was released on August 18, 2023. The song is a tribute to the Msimango family and his forefathers - Nonkosi is Msimango's clan name.

Awards

BET Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2022Himself Best New International Act Nominated [8]

Dstv Mzansi Viewer's Choice Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2022
"Adiwele"
Favourite Song of the YearNominated [9]

South African Music Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2022NotumatoBest Selling ArtistWon [10]

Discography

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References

  1. Young, Stunna. "Young Stunna Origin".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. 1 2 "Young Stunna talks 'New Beginnings' on The Ultimate Kaya 959 Top 30". kaya959.co.za. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  3. "From hustler to amapiano hitmaker: Young Stunna dominates on the dance floor". News24. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Young Stunna's 'Adiwele' reaches number 1 across SA radio". iol.co.za. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  5. "Amapiano star Young Stunna blows Mzansi away with debut [listen]". thesouthafrican.com. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  6. https://www.iol.co.za/entertainment/celebrity-news/local/young-stunna-reflects-on-career-milestones-following-the-success-of-debut-album-notumato-75b3e6f9-6151-4cae-be77-6af2227ec7fc
  7. Darangwa, Shingai (29 April 2022). "Young Stunna and Uncle Waffles feature in new Spotify documentary". Independent Online. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  8. Grant, Shawn (2 June 2022). "Doja Cat Leads 2022 BET Award Nominations, Drake and Ari Lennox Follow". The Source. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  9. de Wee, Naledi (13 April 2022). "DStv Mzansi Viewers Choice Awards 2022 SAMA record of the year Pending: Take a look at all the nominees". The South African. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  10. "#SAMA28 Celebrates Winners Of Night 1". ZAlebs. 28 August 2022. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.