The host of Metro FM's breakfast show, Thato DJ Fresh Sikwane says young people starting up in the music industry should stay committed to hard work.
Sikwane was speaking to HuffPost SA weeks after joining the show.
He said breaking into the industry is not as easy as many young people might think.
"Just because you have done a DJ course, it does not mean you can have a career in the music industry. Yes you can mix, but that what do you have that sets you apart? Also, one of the mistakes I see a lot of kids making is having one hit song and all of a sudden, they think they are made and that they have now made it. You then think you can start treating people like rubbish, taking bookings and not show up. It does not work like that," said Sikwane.
Sikwane told HuffPost SA that he believes the industry is about building as many bridges as possible.
"As much as you might have that one hit or even 10 hits, humble yourself all the time. Your humility will open doors that your talent can never open. As talented as you might be, if you are difficult to work with, you will not get far in this industry," said Sikwane.
He said his current projects include a mobile app and Fresh House Flava Volume 10.
Sikwane said he is having a ball at the station and listeners should expect more great entertainment from his show.
Sikwane said he'd been having an "insane" time since leaving 5FM earlier this year, after more than a decade at the station, to join Metro FM's The Fresh Breakfast.
"So far so good," he said. "The response has been amazing. The biggest surprise for me is support from listeners that started listening to me at YFM, those that listened to me when I moved to 5FM as well those listeners that I found waiting for me here at Metro FM. The response has been insane, social media has also been insane and management is happy. I'm not happy yet as I still think we are building, but once everything falls into place then we can talk again."
Sikwane believes radio should be rather unpredictable and this is what listeners can expect from his 5-8am show.
"People must tune in every morning because they don't know what might or might not happen. Ultimately, what we are hoping to do is to entertain and inform you and most importantly, to have you, the listener, get to work feeling positive about life. That's the kind of companion radio needs to be," he told HuffPost SA.
Despite the recent radio reshuffle, the mass exodus at Metro FM and the growing popularity of digital and online radio stations, Sikwane said traditional radio is not about to fade.
"Traditional radio will never fade because of how immediate it is and also, it costs you nothing. Radio will survive any onslaught because of how instant it is. You can go to rural areas anywhere in the world, you will find people have radio because they like to be entertained and informed. So as long as it does not cost you anything, radio will remain," he said.
Sikwane has also recently opened a fast food franchise store at Carnival City.