Mpho “Popps” Modikoane / 32 / Stand Up Comedian
Comedy: How did you start your journey?
As a kid, there was a day my grandfather made fun of me in front of the whole family, everyone was laughing and I couldn’t even get a word in. I ran to hide in a closet because I couldn’t take the embarrassment and I vowed that would never happen again. So it basically started from a place of trauma.
You’ve made a name for yourself in the Comedy industry, was this always the life plan?
It wasn’t always the plan – I wanted to be a lawyer, a pilot, a business man, a swimsuit model.
Material: Where do you draw your ideas to joke about on stage from?
I draw all my ideas from my everyday life. My belief is that my talent and skill is not a show I put on but an embodiment of my true self. This is who I am, all day, every day. My goal is to spread laughs and bring joy to audiences around the world.
Laughter or Love? Pick one…
That’s like choosing between your brother and your sister – laughter and love go hand in hand , you can’t have one without the other.
Tell us about your ‘Black In My Day’ national tour and what attendees can expect?
#BlackInMyDay is a nostalgic trip down memory lane of how I grew up and all the experiences that have brought me to the point I’m at today. It is a play on what life was like back in the day as a black man and navigating those challenges. It is reflective on life in the hood, and drawing a comparison to flourishing in the suburbs. So people can expect an evening of laughs and some great entertainment.
The Savanna Comics’ Choice Awards are coming up and you’re a nominee, anticipating a win?
Whether I win or lose doesn’t really matter to me, there is no way of really measuring comedy because how do you determine who got the most laughs or who had the best joke of 2019?
What do you love most about your job?
The fact that I get to make people laugh for a living, unlike a dentist, people actually look forward to coming to my place of work.
Any exciting plans for the rest of 2019?
Touring the country for my #BlackInMyDay tour, it doesn’t get more exciting than that for me.
One crazy/cool thing that people don’t know about you?
I can spin a Gusheshe.
Follow Mpho Popps!
Instagram: @mphopopps
Twitter: @MphoPopps
Facebook: @mpho.popps.fanpage
–Bridgette Makhela
bkoolmedia 