Novex’s Sasezola takes South African music by storm

The amazing amapiano DJ, producer and songwriter, Mashdud Lucky Semenya, popularly known as Novex, is making waves in the South African music industry, radio and social media following the release of his single Sasezola.

Amapiano DJ, producer and songwriter Mashdud Lucky Semenya, popularly known as Novex. The Senwabarwana, Limpopo-born Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Software Development alumnus teamed up with Born Kxng, MOONLIGHT AFRIQA and S.N.E to bring the song to life. However, the journey to its release was far from straightforward. During the early stages of producing the song, Novex put Sasezola aside after his attempts to secure some of the bigger names in the industry for the collaboration did not yield positive results.

“Until a homie of mine, uBeyond, who is part of the production, came and said he would like to try to get features. He did that and the song was finished,” said Novex.

“What followed was an unexpected breakthrough. Within just three days, the song began attracting attention on social media, with TikTok playing a major role in building momentum ahead of its official release. I woke up to a lot of notifications on TikTok, which surprised me because I had not paid for a promotion pack when I posted the song,” he said.

“The momentum grew after a social media influencer used the song on Instagram, prompting more people to discover it and request its release. It can only be God because we didn’t even put a single cent into this.”

Although Novex grew up in a household where music and different genres were widely enjoyed, his own ambitions as a musician began taking shape after he arrived at TUT in 2017. It was during his time in residence that he encountered fellow students making beats. Curious and determined, he introduced himself as a musician and asked to be taught.

“One day I was walking to the kitchen, and I heard colleagues making beats in one of the rooms. I knocked and introduced myself and told them I was a musician.The response was not necessarily what I expected, I was told I am not good, but my peers were willing to help me improve until I surpassed them, and eventually reached a point where they began requesting beats from me,” he added.

Sasezola has since become a career-defining release for Novex, reaching number one on radio stations and introducing his music to a national audience.

The song has surpassed 950 000 plays on YouTube, reached as high as number nine on Spotify’s Top 50, and climbed to number one on the Shazam Top 200 Chart.

His growing journey has also seen him collaborate with established artists including Cassper Nyovest, Sha Sha, Kelvin Momo, Loationover Pounds and Blaq Diamond.

Rather than focusing on what he earned financially from these experiences, Novex views the collaborations as valuable learning opportunities that have allowed him to develop his craft and gain experience in the music industry.