Ijay Swanepoel is a talented lyricist making a name for himself in South Africa and internationally; his story is an inspiring one!
Mpumalanga, South Africa (13 May 2020) – At the age of 28-years-old, all of Ijay Swanepoel’s dreams are becoming a reality. He has worked hard, following his passions, turning them into a career as a lyricist.
Ijay launched his lyrical project, Stephen Gawking, to showcase his abilities and love of electronic hip-hop. However, Ijay isn’t your average guy, he has an inspiring story that has led him to success. He diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) at a very young age. This fact inspired the name of his project, playing with the name Stephen Hawking who developed a similar disease, Lou Gehrig’s.
Ijay’s family received his diagnosis when he was just one-year-old. Spinal Muscular Atrophy manifests differently in each case but tends to affect the motor neurons. His life expectancy was greatly dependant on the severity of his own case.
Ijay’s life has been rich, surrounded by people who support his love of music and passion for wordplay. It was this love that led to him pursuing life as a lyricist. Ijay started writing for fun and playing with words in 2018 at the age of 25.
His project was started to create unity in a world often divided, he wanted to use it to breed collaboration across cultures, races, backgrounds and more. Stephan Gawking was established as a symbol of hope and a source of inspiration for people often told no; the disabled, the oppressed; the bullied and the downtrodden.
“There are so many people and things that are causing division in this world. I want Stephen Gawking to be the opposite of that, and bring people of all cultures, backgrounds, and more, together. A symbol of hope and inspiration to those who are disabled, different, oppressed, bullied, and everyone in between.” – Ijay Swanepoel
Ijay says that through his journey, his mother has been his biggest supporter. The future is bright, he is now looking to turn his lyrics into an album. Through collaboration with producer Bobby Johnson and rapper Tsoha Monareng AKA Wurd Smith, Ijay’s first single “Nerd’s Creed” was released.
“As you’ll be able to tell, the words tell a very personal story, conveying positivity while describing overcoming adversity in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds.”
Ijay has so much to say. Keep an eye on him because this lyricist is going places! You can follow his progress and hear his songs via Facebook here.
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