Interview: Stephen Gawking aka The Nuclear Lyricist

Rather than play the pity card, Ijay’s objective is to use his talent and music as a fighting symbol of hope and inspiration for those who are disabled, different, oppressed, bullied, and everyone in-between.

Stephen Gawking recently dropped his track ‘Cheslin Kolbe In An Office Cubicle’ featuring an all-star South African collaboration with Loufi, Gazelle, HemelBesem and Vicus Visser. The concept of the track? What if South African rugby player Cheslin Kolbe listened to the naysayers, and didn't pursue rugby? He would’ve been discouraged, working in an office cubicle, hearing a voice deep within, as the song plays like his destiny calling.

In real life, Kolbe never listened to the naysayers, and is regarded as one of the greatest rugby players of his generation. How many people listen to the cynics, losing out on their potential because they don’t try? This track is an anthem to motivate and inspire everyone to pursue their dreams, as the old cliché goes, “Rather try and fail, than fail to try”.

Ijay Swanepoel lives by this motto, and has learnt so much by doing so (who would’ve thought he would meet and work with such prominent artists?).

We had the opportunity to chat to Ijay Swanepoel, and here is all that went down. 

DEVO OOSTHUIZEN: You mention in your press release that ‘I feel like Nick Fury bringing together the Avengers for the first time, and like them, I feel that this song will be iconic, especially for the Stephen Gawking brand. I still can't really believe it, it feels surreal. Everyone featuring on this track, and everyone behind the scenes that made this possible, is scattered across South Africa and as far as New York. For me, this whole Stephen Gawking project is, and continuously aims to be, the ultimate embodiment of the Rainbow Nation, and what South Africa has to offer!’ 

For those unfamiliar, how does SMA affect your everyday life, and at what age were you diagnosed? 

STEPHEN GAWKING: I was diagnosed around the age of one after my mother realised that I wasn't developing physically in terms of crawling, etc. I could never walk, but my hands had more mobility up to a certain age, but now I can't do anything for myself anymore, I can just use a mouse on PC and drive my electric wheelchair, much like a baby ... but a Boss Baby [laughs]. 

When, and how did your passion for music start, and when did you discover your immense talent for music and for bringing amazing artists together? 

Music has always been around since I can remember. My parents influenced me, and I guess almost primed me without even knowing it, from Eurovision, to many music awards and shows that we recorded on VHS and watched over and over. So, it’s always been there, just dormant I guess. And when I finally decided to give it a try, it all came naturally. 

What and/or who motivated you, and how did you find the strength to rise above your immense personal challenge, to pursue your goal to become and artist for change and a fighting symbol of hope and inspiration to those who are ‘disabled, different, oppressed, bullied, and everyone in-between’? 

It’s a combination of things, but ultimately most of the credit must go to my parents, and how they complement each other in terms of how they raised and influenced me to become the person I am today. I will explain everything more in-depth one day. But without Johan and Lucy Swanepoel, I would never have been a ‘warrior’ and just another victim of circumstances. 

How did you go about getting this group of talent together, inclusive of Loufi, Gazelle, HemelBesem and Vicus Visser, to collaborate on ‘Cheslin Kolbe In An Office Cubicle’? 

It was quite the journey and definitely not easy, but I learnt so much about how to work with different people and personalities. And again, a lot of credit to my parents for shaping me to be able to operate in such complex situations. At the end of the day, everything and everyone came together and brought their A game to make this track truly something special and I am very proud of the end result. 

What made you specifically reference Cheslin Kolbe as the motivation for your anthem? 

I read an article about Cheslin Kolbe and how he explained that everyone doubted him in terms of being too small to play rugby. Kolbe’s father, Andrew, shed a tear during the M-Net documentary Chasing the Sun, as he remembered how his son had been called a ‘dwergie’ [dwarf], and told he was too small to play rugby. However, Cheslin said, ‘Dada, I will become a Springbok.’ He did just that and much more, proving everyone wrong. What an amazing man and a legend! 

Given you have four prior singles, also featuring guest performers, who else would you love to work and collaborate with in the future? 

The list is long and constantly getting longer. I’m open to collaborating with anyone who would be open to it, no matter the genre. I love the idea of pushing boundaries and bridging genres, cultures and even languages. 

What would you deem the biggest success you can achieve with your music and with your message? 

The biggest success one can achieve as an artist is to be universally relatable and immortal, but I will also settle for a Grammy or SAMA [laughs]. 

Which artist and hot tracks are you spinning right now? And who is your favourite South African artists overall, and why? 

I mostly listen to top-10 hits and such to stay up-to-date with what’s hot, from Drake to Taylor Swift, who are killing it in the charts. My personal favourite local artist is Jack Parow, and has been since I first heard him. I felt like Goku turning Super Saiyan for the first time or Neo discovering he is The One [laughs]. 

Where to from here?? What can fans look out for next from Stephen Gawking, aka The Nuclear Lyricist? 

We are almost done with single number five, titled ‘Andria The Angelic’. This is a tribute to my late sister, who also had SMA, but type 1, which is much more progressive than type 2. We also have few other tracks in various stages of production. This is just the beginning and I still have a lot of fight left in me and things to achieve. 

Follow Stephen Gawking’s handle @NuclearLyricist on all social media platforms and listen to his music here.