By Seleoe Nonyane
A brand new YouTube podcast which is hosted by April Mahase is already proving to be a hit among fans despite having aired two episodes only.
It was just a month ago when the megastar debuted in the music industry with a single titled ‘Rap Queen’, featuring Yemba Shungu.
A few weeks after releasing ‘Rap Queen’ she launched the first episode of the ‘Tell It All’ podcast with entrepreneur Tjekatjeka Thakeli as a guest, and people were hooked.
This week the second episode aired with the HIV/AIDS activist Tšepang Maboee as a guest.
In an interview with theReporter yesterday, April narrated her journey as a presenter.
She indicated that she was a radio presenter back in the day after completing her studies, volunteering and not getting paid for over four years.
She said she got tired of working for free for such a long time, and decided to try her luck in South Africa.
April discovered that it was even harder to secure a job in the neighbouring country as radio stations there gave preference to SA citizens. Also, the cost of living was higher compared to Lesotho.
She said she then came back home but still there was no local radio stations willing to take her in.
In 2021 April’s prayers were finally answered when she bagged a job at a radio station in SA, but to her dismay they still did not pay her so she did not stay long.
After returning to Lesotho, she decided to apply for a waitressing job at a nightclub and was successful.
She mentioned that during her stay at the club, she was offered an MCing gig and that is what she has been doing for some time.
In the midst of all this, she met with record label, Jenuine Hype’s Yemba Shungu who was curious to know why April left radio and it was at this moment he proposed that they do a podcast.
She said before she knew it, they were already preparing for the podcast and looking for people to feature on it.
April told this publication that the Tell It All podcast is aimed at giving out information on issues affecting society and imparting knowledge that other people may not be aware of.
It also has an entertainment element to it to keep people engaged.
She revealed that the podcast is also a platform to put the country out there for the world to see. It airs on YouTube every two weeks, she said, adding that so far there is no specific day of when the podcast airs.
She indicated that she was aware that some podcasts are produced locally come and go after a short time.
“Therefore, the plan is for the Tell It All podcast to stay original and stay aligned with its objective. I believe if we stay authentic, then the podcast will be viable.
“If we stay focused and original then we will not run out of content. There are so many success stories that we can tell in this country,” April noted.
She said with just the two episodes that have aired, she has learned a lot from her guests and is adamant that the podcast is not only helping the people who watch it but also helping her to look at things from a different perspective as an individual.
Asked what she thinks could be the reason for some podcasts fail to progress further, April said she would not know why they do not continue but knows for sure that on her side the Tell It All will not perish.
“For me, this is my passion so, there is no way I would leave it behind,” she added.
