Whether he is singing or doing stand up-comedy, all round entertainer Winston Moonsamy is one to make his presence felt whenever he gets on stage. The multi-talented singer, song writer, guitarist, MC and performer recently took some time off his busy schedule to chat with the Phoenix Tabloid. Although tight-lipped about where he gets his content for his comedy skits, Moonsamy opened up more about his life and what drives his pursuit for success and stardom.
Phoenix Tabloid (PT): For those that don’t know you, tell us about Winston Moonsamy
Winston Moosamy (WM): Winston Moonsamy resides in Phoenix, I’ve basically lived here all my life but my parents are formerly from Mount Edgecombe. I’m the youngest of three children with two older sisters. I’m not married and have no kids of my own although I am the guardian and sole provider to my niece and nephews. I’m a full time musician and entertainer.
PT: You are a very popular MC, singer, comedian and influencer – tell us how your career started gaining momentum?
WM: So I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of SA Idols for a few years. To date, I am the only contestant (I’m open for correction) who received three golden tickets on the show. It’s something I’m extremely proud of considering the show comes to an end this year. Since my appearance on the show, my singing career started to blossom and I did what few people would do, I decided to resign from my place of employment “Nedbank” to pursue my dream of music in 2013. It was incredible at first. Gigs were unending and opportunities were many, but then gradually like any musical career, it got quieter and gigs started to stall. Some time in 2015 I recall being very discouraged and I remember sitting down one day and saying to myself “Winston, you need to be more creative so that you don’t only depend on restaurants and bars for your gig opportunities”. I remember writing down all the things I wanted to do with my career and right there and then, is where my love for comedy began. It was instant. I would stand in front of the camera and literally make myself laugh. From the latter part of 2015, I started a really incredible career performing at weddings, canape hours, corporate events, Christmas parties, birthday parties etc not just as a singer but as an all in one entertainer and seeing people laugh, being happy and joyous has definitely been the best thing about this job for me.
PT: Who or what is the inspiration behind for your comedy skits?
WM: So, I don’t want to reveal to you how I find much of my content (otherwise people might steal my ideas lol) but let me just say “living in South Africa means you have ample content to work with every single day”. But on a more serious note I find content on social media and the news. I think this is the best place to be in because it’s relevant. To be honest with you I don’t have any inspirations in the comedy world. I respect and admire many local comedians, but I think many comedians today have become either too vulgar or too sexual in their content. For me that’s a no go zone. So if you listen to my comedy you will find that I don’t do either of those.
PT: In which places have your work taken you to?
WM: I’ve had the opportunity to perform across the length and breath of KwaZulu-Natal. I’ve travelled the country as a musician and comedian and it’s been a wonderful experience. Of course, there are many plans for shows outside the country in the future.
PT: I have seen most of your videos, they are lively and interactive, although you are entertaining with no sensitive or harmful content there are still haters out there, how do you deal with negative remarks?
WM: Thank you for recognising that, you will find that I do not entertain any negative people on my page especially TikTok. I don’t want that kind of engagement on my profile. I want my page to be a happy place for everyone. Hence I block and delete many people who are simply there to hate. Unfortunately much of the real abuse comes from fake profiles also. I realised this while browsing through many of the negative remarks. These are faceless profiles set up by people to try and undermine you. You will find I can write the most original comedy and upload it and people will still say I stole that from this comedian and that comedian. So I don’t really worry too much about these accusations. This is also why I upload content onto TikTok so that if ever I did perform this live you know it’s my content.
PT: What is your most memorable event / video / show?
WM: My favourite singing video has to be my tribute to AKA which was a vocal cover of “Jika”. It was something South Africa loved. It’s been viewed over a million times accumulatively on Facebook and TikTok, but my best comedy video has to be the one about “Mahatma Ghandi Memorial Hospital – where the dead are alive”. I think Idols still stands out for me as my best show ever. But as an MC and comedian, I’ve performed at some really lovely events over the
years.
PT: A message of hope for the youth out there?
WM: Never give up. I know this is a cliché, but I want to remind young people to chase their dreams. I also want to encourage them to persevere. When it’s hard, they should remember that it won’t always be hard. Life gets better with hope and laughter. Let’s be honest, drugs and bad habits have plagued our communities – it’s become the one thing that affects our young men more than anything else. This is why we should encourage young people to stay away from bad company. Bad company corrupts good character. This is biblical advice which I see evident today.
PT: What are your goals and aspirations for the future? Do you see yourself in other platforms such as television or movies?
WM: For now the most important thing is taking care of my family. I do have plans to go abroad for some amazing opportunities. I know 100% the future is surely brighter.
PT: On a lighter note, whats your favourite food / pastime / hobbies?
WM: By the way I love cooking. My favourite food has to be mutton Briyani. My hobbies are definitely watching movies, playing my guitar and sitting with my dog for hours and hours.
PT: Your favourite influencer or comedian?
WM: Strangely I don’t have a favourite mainstream influencer, but I actually enjoy listening to 2 popular preachers on TikTok by the names of John Piper and Alaistair Begg. They help keep me grounded. If I had to choose a favourite comedian – Russel Peters for sure.
