Samantha Matshidiso Lehoko, better known as Sammy Sosa, was dubbed 2015’s breakthrough presenter of the year after she worked her way up from UCT’s Campus radio station to Metro FM. This young lady has an extremely busy schedule yet still has time to play Mommy to her beautiful 2 year-old son. We got to sit down with her and find out a little more about her and what the future holds.
We know you as Samantha Lehoko, where does Sammy Sosa come from?
First of all, who’s we? Look, I will always be Samantha Lehoko and frankly speaking, I always wanted to remain as Samantha when I first entered the industry. If you look at all my social media handles, I’ve stuck to my name of Sam Lehoko.
I guess sometimes, people want to add flair to ones name and give you a certain persona, and having said that, Sammy Sosa isn’t too far off from who I’m meant to become. THEE Sammy Sosa, is one incredible baseball player, known to all as a legend. Having accomplished so much within his professional career and having inspired many all over the world. There isn’t really much to how I came to acquire the name, but just like the baseball player, I want to accomplish far more than what I’ve been destined to accomplish.
Sam, you’ve had a very interesting and long journey to where you are now, tell us where your love for entertainment/radio/TV began?
To be honest, I have always wanted to be a journalist. My father also had big dreams of me becoming a journalist overseas, reporting live from the 3rd world, bomb infested countries and bringing pivotal news to the living rooms of many.
Sometimes one’s dream changes or we get introduced to career paths that seem just as interesting, but far less dangerous!
After studying, doing a bit of photography and eventually working on campus radio at UCT, I suppose that’s when I realized what I want to be doing for most of my career.
If you had to choose, TV or radio?
I actually really hate this question. It’s like choosing between your boyfriend and your best friend, not that I have either, but yes. I love them both equally. There are so many pros and cons. They’re both extremely fun, but also require discipline, focus & skill. I guess, I would choose radio over TV, since nobody ever sees what you look like. Doing my radio shows never require me to look my best, but I do however have to SOUND my best. It’s tricky and I can’t actually think of any other reasons. I do both radio and television, so I guess it’s only fair that I don’t pick one.
Sammy Sosa loves to party, tell us your craziest story on a night out.
I love to party? Really? Hahaha… Well, I suppose so. Partying has changed for me in so many different ways. It’s all about VIP setups, bottles of cognac and champagne, sparkles, getting shoutouts on the mic by the emcee, constantly having to greet and talk to every other celebrity, taking pictures with other club goers in general access, lol. It sometimes gets super crazy, but I’ve learnt to balance going all out and spending a lot, to just sitting in a dark corner and asking for NO SPARKLES. There haven’t been that many crazy nights that have stood out for me, although when the champagne is flowing, I won’t hesitate to unbutton my top, pour champagne all over these here abs, grab the mic and request Snoop Dogg’s ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’.
Name your personal top 5 songs currently on your playlist.
I – Donae’o
Panda – Desiigner
Hot Tears – Shekhinah
Money Talk – T.I.
One Dance – Drake ft. Wizkid & Kyla
We saw you spent time in studio with Aewon, Nomuzi and Ms Cosmo, When can we expect a new song from you?
Look, my first single called ‘Love In The Summer’, was purely just a project I did because I had the resources and I love music with all my heart. I never expected it to get airplay and nor did I expect producers to want to work with me. I’ve found myself in Oskido’s studio, working with his son, Bass and also the likes of Mobi Dixon. My second single with Kaznova was really a lot of fun too and to date, I have started working with the group ICU, Aewon Wolf & Cubique DJ.
I have decided to move away from the House genre and now work on sounds that are more R&B/soul/funk.
Look out for more music coming soon this year.
What are the five things you can’t live without?
My son
Music
My phone
Food
My new car
Do you have a Celebrity Crush?
Local or International? Cause that’s important. Hahaha… No, I actually don’t have a celebrity crush. Fortunately or unfortunately?!
Name a few sneakers that you have currently on rotation?
I’m a huge Nike fan. Copped an endorsement deal from them a few years ago, so I’m also on that Air Force 1 & Air Max tip.
What is your favourite local and/or International Clothing brand?
Lately I’ve been receiving a lot of requests by new local brands to wear their clothes and push swag. It’s quite tough to say what’s my favourite, because there’s actually quite a lot of good sh*t out there. The clothing industry is quite competitive, but I think that’s also the case because everything is just THAT similar. Locally, I’ve always supported Head Honcho and Thesis.
Recently, I’ve been doing some research on Instagram and my current favourite international clothing brand has to be XIXXCIV.
What’s your motivation? What gets you up every morning?
Besides loving each and every single thing that I do, whether it’s music, radio and/or television; my biggest motivation is my son, Karabelo. As young as I was when I gave birth to my son, I realized that having a child is a huge blessing, more than just a responsibility. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Beautiful, loving, intelligent, friendly & out-spoken, he is the reason why I work as hard as I do. If I had to push myself according to how hard others worked, I would lose focus and never have time to concentrate on my own craft. I’ve always asked myself, how do I know that the grass is greener on the other side if I never take the time to have a look at my own grass?
What would you say to a younger Sammy Sosa aspiring to be in the entertainment industry?
I have so much to say, but yet so little to say.
The industry has taught me so many things, not only about myself but also about people in general. Here, not everyone is your friend, not everybody has your best interest at heart and not everybody wants the very best for you. As exciting and as fun as the industry really is, it’s also extremely toxic. Don’t get swallowed by the industry and don’t get caught up in the hype. Don’t get too influenced by everything and focus on YOU! KEEP YOUR CIRCLES VERY SMALL TOO.
Catch Sammy Sosa on Power FM on Saturdays 18h00 – 21h00.