Dineo Mashile, also known as Kay-Dee, is a poet, author and artist. Kay-Dee has always been driven by purpose to choose her paths wisely. As life would have it, sometimes purpose leads us to where never imaged we would go. “I never asked to be an artist, but here I am,” Kay-Dee asserts. “And the first song I release just happens to be one that gives God glory. It could not be a more perfect song for this moment. It reminds me that God is worthy of the Glory, even when life doesn’t make sense, ” expressed the artist.
Music has always been a part of Kay-Dee’s life, but she did not believe that her voice was special enough for her to be an artist. That all changed when she auditioned for a play in her first year of university, it was then she realised that she was gifted with a unique voice. She then joined the acappella group known as VChords which help her grow as a performing artist.
Coming from a God-fearing family of worshippers, even after discovering her voice, Kay-Dee vowed to never sing gospel because she did not want to commercialise worship. Yet God had other plans for her as she is now a gospel artist and has recently released her debut single “Ufanelwe”. She notes that what has changed for her is that making music is no longer about profit, it is rather for the main purpose of having the world taste and see that God is Worthy of the Glory.
She also adds that the song, Ufanelwe (which means You are Worthy), is an outward expression of the worship at her church.
“We were in a very intimate worship season in my church, Pastor David (the composer of the song) played keys/piano for us. One day he invited me to his studio and started playing the verse cords and played around with the words “You’re worthy of the Glory, ufanelwe…” we sang that for a few minutes then we had the whole verse “You’re worthy of the Glory, ufanelwe ludumo…” while we were singing, I got the chorus and starting singing that. And that’s how we wrote the song. That was all in 2019, we’ve had the finished song since. It just felt right to release it now,” she stated.
She also expressed that, for her, Ufanelwe is another sign that God is intentional about our lives. That God does what He says He will do.
Outside of her artistry, Kay-Dee is an entrepreneur. She funded Perfect Love Publications to offer affordable publishing services and opportunities to young people in rural and township communities. Upon realising that there is also a need for marketing services, she also founded Taugadi Media Consultants which seeks to equip young marketing professionals with skills while helping them earn an income.
As a social work graduate, Kay-Dee uses her degree to enhance the work that she does in different settings. She has served in various positions and is currently the Webinar Coordinator at Africa Matters Initiative as well as a project lead at The Panafuturist. Moreover, she hosts a variety of podcasts and writes for various media platforms and manages The Poetry Pulpit NPC.
Being a part of so many groundbreaking projects is where her passion lies and what makes her happy. All she does is for the good of people and to give all glory to God. Her life and music define that.
Ufanelwe is now available on various streaming channels, visit https://linktr.ee/Ufanelwe to listen.
