Samz Ae

Joburg Trap Queen on the Rise

Samz-ae (aka Samantha Erasmus) is a sassy young singer / songwriter from the East of Johannesburg who is making waves in the trap, hip-hop and rap game. Her career kicked off with the support of DJ Voltrex (Aaron Ngwenya and Nkosi Sibanda), hitting the scene with the release of her single ‘Party’.
Watch the music video here: https://youtu.be/W9tseDFrAvQ
This was closely followed by an EP (Party) and two singles Mario Kartz and Love Song all within the space of her first year.
Samz-ae joined Rise Academy in 2019 where she established a strong working relationship with Breeze and 808 who now mentor and produce for her. Under their guidance and with the tutoring of her Voice Coach Xanilee Hammond, she is producing next level tracks – to be released soon with the Music Video for Love Song.
Samz-ae proudly writes her own lyrics and has “bars for days!” She expresses her life experiences and lessons through her music and believes that this has helped her to overcome some major challenges, to stay positive and determined to succeed.
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Sam was born in Linksfield and raised in Edenvale. She started her education at Elma Park Pre-Primary School moving to St. Andrew's School for Girls for her primary school years. She is now studying via Cambridge Distance Learning through Andrews Academy with the watchful guidance of her tutor Julie Soldartos.
Samz-ae adapted well to life with divorced parents
Although Sam’s parents were divorced when she was 12-years-old, she holds only good memories from her childhood. “I eventually got used to living in two different houses and my parents stopped fighting after their divorce and became really close friends which was good to see,” she said.
Dealing with the death of her father has been extremely difficult
Sam’s whole world came to a standstill when her father passed away in August 2017 from very aggressive stomach cancer. She was attending a school rowing tour at the time and so didn’t get to see him at the end. She spoke of how she and her dad had texted back and forth daily while she was away until he stopped responding. Her mum arrived at the camp weeping and she knew instantly what had happened.
“My best friend at the time laughed when she heard the news, which devastated me. She had yelled at me the night before to stop texting my dad so much, despite knowing his condition. I left the camp and didn’t go to school. My so-called best friend who had turned on me when I needed her the most now listens to my music and loves my songs.”
“My dad taught me how to ride a bike and play netball because he was very good at that and we were always close, so when he passed away it broke me. I had many sleepless nights,” said Sam.
She explained how her dad was an energetic body who was easy to talk to and always helped her with school work. She spent lots of time with him when her mom worked.
Samz-ae’s father was a DJ in his teenage years and ran his own gigs/events in Durban under the name “Footsteps”. He set up her sound equipment, including a vintage microphone, in her music room (now called “The Blue room). He will always be a part of her music.


I went off the tracks for a while
Sam had little to no support from her peers at this time and instead they started spreading rumors about her, she went through depression and sadness and began doing things behind her mother’s back like vaping, smoking, drinking and she even joined an all boy group of ‘bad boys’.
“These boys were close to me until they started spreading rumors about me. There is only one of the boys who I still talk to and is like a brother to me. Now it’s easy for me to cut off people who aren’t good for me. “
The fallout from this wayward experience led to the building of the strong bond that she now has with her mother. “My mum and I were always close but now we are even stronger. “
Her mother, originally from Zimbabwe, moved to South Africa to study at the University of Natal. Her parents met through work.
“My musical journey began when I was 4 years old”
Samz-ae started ballet at the age of 4 but found these classes too slow and boring and so changed to freestyle when she was 6. Her parents weren’t crazy about this dance style and moved her to a studio teaching tap and modern which she has done ever since.
She began piano lessons at the age of 5 and drumming lessons at the age of 8. When she was 12 school life was really hectic and so she decided to drop piano to focus on her drumming now studying for her Rock School grade 5 exams.
Samz-ae has tried her hand at modeling and drama and played a role in the Jo’burg Kids Theatre production of Cinderella.
Her voice coaching began at St. Andrews but her instructor told her she would never make it and kicked her out. She’s continued with independent voice coaches ever since. “I enjoy singing adult contemporary and pop, but my favorite is rap and hip-hop.”
“I feel like my dad is always with me because he has helped me get through a lot. I love writing music because it helps me vent and deal with my emotions. I know I can fully express myself through my music,” she says.
School work is still important
With her eyes on music as her career, Samz-ae is not discounting her education but plans on perusing sociology, EMS, English, Accounting and Computer Science.
She hopes to run her own business like her parents have, with her mum handling the books of course!
Get in touch with Samz-ae
Samz-ae is dedicated to her craft, constantly writing new lyrics and melodies for production by 808. Look out for her tracks on SoundCloud, and connect with her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/samz_ae/?hl=en
Samz-ae is a natural performer and is seeking opportunities to participate in gigs, birthday parties, celebrations, functions at schools, clubs, restaurants, shopping centres, and events.
Add hype and sass to your event – Book Samz-ae
For bookings contact Samz-ae
samz@samz-ae.com (0892)3876694