Mpho Mokusi
Johannesburg - Nhlakanipho “Versatile” Ntanda is set to take the music scene by storm in as many ways as possible.
The 28-year-old from Pimville, Soweto, said his music is a fusion of Afropop, amapiano and hip hop.
He attributes this ability to transverse the different genres to growing up in one of the most culturally diverse townships in South Africa, which afforded him the opportunity to gain inspiration from everyday local stories, which makes his output authentic and relatable.
“From a young age, I always had a big interest in music and I began collecting my own music when I was in Grade 2. After that, writing became a natural thing to me,” said Ntanda
Ntanda also produces music and it was during his varsity days when he took his music career seriously.
The passionate musician said this lead to him sharing the stage with iconic internationally recognised acts such as Mafikizolo and Fally Ipupa and Mayorkun at the Africa Honour Day Concert at Expo 2020 in Dubai last February, while he continued to grow his name on the local and African music scene.
“For me the big goal is to share our African stories globally and export our sound as a commodity that will aid the development of our continent and its people,” he added.
Ntanda said having to grab people’s attention in the music industry can prove challenging as there are so many songs being produced every day. Artists need to make sure they also keep up to date with their songs so as to stay relevant.
He added that he would one day like to be a big African export, referencing big artists like Burnaboy and Maphorisa as his main inspirations. He would like to be able to establish a label type environment where a “strong catalogue of music” is built in the next five years.
The Star