Serai Tshepo “Stoan” Seate / Entertainer / Busnessman / Entrepreneur
“Entertainer, businessman within the lifestyle entertainment industry. My job is to extract monetary and other types of values out of the brand Stoan and use the products I create as vehicles for it. My business is majority shareholder in the Stoan brand.”
Currently working on?
I’ve had to narrow down my focus down to a few things because even with a hundred lifetimes, I could never reach my full potential. To be excellent, I need to narrow down my focus. I’m continuing to record music but more as a hobby, compared to it being an occupation. I own a gin now, Native Gin. I also work with Magents Lifestyle Apparel in the brand marketing space, it’s a family thing. TV shows also do come but that’s not my main focus at the moment.
Artists are still in an unpredictable phase right now, how do you stay motivated?
I think it’s key to not no plan too far, compress my plan and execute within a period of about 2-4 weeks. You should be able to execute because things can change so quickly now due to the pandemic, daily and weekly goals are vital, you won’t be challenged when your 6-month plan fails. You can’t aim too far ahead but at the same time upping my skills. Graphics, videos, still images I’ve been doing myself. Staying busy…I’ve got 3/4 music videos done, 7/8 features done already and working on more. Stay working and stay positive about the future. Rather stay positive than negative about what the future holds.
You’ve come a long way as a talented all-round creative artist, what’s your winning formula?
It can be a gift and curse to be an all-rounder because you end up being a jack of all trades and a master of none. I’ve tried to keep the skills that can benefit other aspects in my life, such as my TV presenting skills benefitting my MC skills and vice versa. My SeTswana work in terms of my music benefits my presentation when it comes to doing other cultural activities. The key is finding a central point, if it’s something that’s outside, it takes away from my time and we only have 24 hours and 365 days in a year to do what we need to do.
Of all the projects you’re involved in, can you pick a favourite…and why?
There’s 2 projects right now that are working well together. Magents and Native Gin, I’m really enjoying the journey. These are spaces where my opinions and contributions are respected and valued, I’m learning a lot from people who have already invested years and have made the mistakes that I don’t need to make. I’m fast forwarding learning and standing on their shoulders as giants. I enjoy learning and gaining new skills.
Bongo Maffin is a huge part of your DNA, what has being in a band taught you?
Being in a band has taught me about compromise, you can never really have everything go 100% your way. You’ve got four headstrong people who feel that their approach is the right approach. If you understand that you all have the same intentions behind it all then you learn to be more empathetic and see things from another person’s perspective. I’ve learned about teamwork and rising to the highest level and pulling up everyone else to create a “5th mind” that is stronger than all of us combined.
Describe music in your own terms…
Because of the last 100 years of the music industry, music has now become competition instead of it becoming or staying a mission. Music has become a competition, we are now counting whether an artist is impactful according to their numbers, and not according to how much soul, wisdom and value they impart to society, our souls and towards changing the world. That’s what music and arts as a wider discipline is supposed to be about, you’re supposed to teach, reach and inspire.
You’re an inspiration to many…but who inspires Stoan?
I’m inspired by God and the universe, the wonder that this whole design is. At a micro level, I’m inspired by the positive human beings around me, the ones who have tasted defeat and snatched victory at the jaws of defeat, people who didn’t have an easy way to victory, and people who fell and dusted themselves off to find new ways to get to where they are going. Like how a ship sets off with an orientation point but constantly has to reset its sail as the winds change. Another inspiration is my mother who was a young divorcee that made great sacrifices to raise me, as well as my grandmother too. Many other people too, Jay-Z’s story inspires me, South Africans here as well, the youngsters who continue to make things happen, guys like Cassper. People who have gone against the odds, Oskido is also a big one too, a lot of people can point out his contribution to their come-up. My environment, South Africa – our story and continuing struggle inspires me
A dream you’d still love to achieve?
One of my reasons for waking up, my “why”’ is I want all my four girls to have a life that is set up already by me. The first car, first property and so forth, should be provided by me. Most of my dreams centre around my family, giving them a better life and better opportunities to launch from a higher launchpad. All of us have a finite amount of fuel, so the difference between us are the opportunities we are afforded by our parents through sacrifice and hard work. I want to win, I want to be successful in all the projects I’m involved in, I want to make millions of rands and have another wave of success in life, as I’ve already had many waves of success. I’m still dreaming like I’m nineteen.
What do you think the future of the South African entertainment industry holds for upcoming talent?
The new South African industry is already here. It’s an industry for an artist who is more scientific in their approach, an artist who is paying keen attention to the rhythm, the urban flow and tides of their market development. The market development will be key where an industry of 100 people paying you R1000 is more valuable than 1000 people paying you R100. These are people that are more invested, a more hand-in-hand process when an artist is developing a product between himself and the fans, the fans have a buy-in before the product is out, because you’re already consulting them about different things. There will be a closer relationship between the consumer and the product developer who is the artist, it makes for more integrity in the industry, because there is no more bullshitting and no more gimmicks, it’s more about authenticity where then you have a higher equity. More gimmick type artists are going to fall by the way side and all that will be left is the real essence of what artistry, entertainment and expression is all about.
Follow Stoan!
Instagram: @stoanito
Twitter: @stoanito
Facebook: Stoanito seate
-Bridgette Makhela
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