"Diva, King of Cabaret', you can give him a tittle too, Amstel Maboa aka Dramatic Diva

Besides the fact that I’ve known and met with Amstel for more than the pairs of shoes I have in my closet but still, on our interviews I always start with the question, who is Amstel Maboa, maybe it’s because I still assume that there are people that don’t know who he is? Like really now… I mean with thousand appearances on television and features on magazines and Sunday newspapers who wouldn’t, but then again, maybe I was hoping he will change a few things, especially now that he is a King of Cabaret, guess what! Nothing, still the same as the one I featured on my EXIT column early this year.

Then again, I realized… Amstel once said to me “my identity is me, not what I do, and my work is my work and that because of talent God gave me not who Amstel Maboa is” This was during those “on the go” chats we had at some point. I then realised that why does he get so emotional about being side-lined and not be where he is supposed to be as a recording artist in SA, his sexuality, which is not what Amstel Maboa’s talent is all about, that his private life… Not what he performs on stage. As much as he is gay but his music is NOT Gay!

Here is a preview of what to expect on my column December issue…

ME:    Who is Amstel Maboa for those who do not know?

AMSTEL: Amstel Maboa is a Tshwane born entertainer from a beautiful township called Mamelodi, I am a go getter, spiritual, down to earth, good Dramatic Diva, fun, very humbled and a peoples person.

ME: Take me through your journey as a cabaret performer since you started

AMSTEL: Well I am enjoying each and every show since I started in October and I must say it was lot of hard work that was put through on my cabaret shows, auditioning for best dancers in town, putting costume together, rehearsals took me a month and a half, music selection and getting the best technical rider, I perform 13 songs on my show and each song must have a choreography and a different costume.

ME: How has the whole experience change your life?

AMSTEL: I must say I am now living part of my dreams that is performing on the stage that allows me to be myself without being prejudiced, getting this gig boosted my ego and it made me realize that nothing is impossible until is done .

ME: Having replaced the top cream of the music industry at the moment, Kelly Khumlo, how does that make you feel?

AMSTEL: Looking at the history of previous cabaret Queens and now it’s me I am very proud of myself.

ME: There is no doubt that you are one of the hottest or should I say the best performers SA has, are there any challenges meeting people’s expectations on your shows?

AMSTEL: Wow thank you for the compliment, well whenever I jump on stage I make sure I give it my all and by doing so, automatically you win your audience. I respect my art and my audience I make sure that my act is on point from costume to choreography and I am proud to say I have exceeded my audience expectations of me they rate my show as a world class standard.

ME: On an interview with Sunday Sun earlier this year, you mentioned that some of your plans have not been successful due to your sexual orientation, were you not at some point scared that this will not come through because of the same reasons?

AMSTEL: Honestly at some point I felt like I must just quit the entertainment industry because of discrimination but something in the back of my mind always said my time will come and this is it is happening know I found my crown and position.

ME: As we all know, one personality gets a gig in the industry and then there are talks, like always, how has the negativity affected you and how have you dealt with it?

AMSTEL: Well that is so true, negative talks were there but I chose to ignore them and concentrated on myself and my calling of entertainment, simply because I know that people will always talk and for me negativity makes me even stronger some of them said my contract will be terminated but hey the show is going stronger and nothing has changed on my contract, the stage is mine on weekly basis at Razoon MorulaSun Casino.

ME: Where do you think you belong in the music and entertainment industry?

AMSTEL: I am on the right track only if I can keep pushing harder and have the best team that shares the same sentiment with me I can crack the music industry.

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Catch the full article/profile on the December issue of EXIT available at CNA, Exclusive Books and other retail stores for R20.00 and for free in major LGBTI Clubs in SA.

One thing that got me so excited is that Amstel is the 1st ever guy to do cabaret as a lead in South Africa

Tweet me your thoughts @YayaRSA and you can follow @AmstelDiva on twitter