Makhanj

Gifted and Soulful: Up close and Personal with Makhanj, the smoothest voice in Amapiano

We sat down with Makhanj for a quick heart to heart ahead of the release of her much anticipated EP, Ntyatyambo. We hope you enjoy this stolen moment as much as we did.

Makhanj, thanks for taking time to chat to us. We are super excited for our audience to finally get to know you a little better, especially after the amazing work you did on Sfarzo Rtee’s New Testament EP.

Starting from the very beginning, please introduce yourself to our audience.

Who is Makhanj and where does that soulful, smooth voice come from?

Makhanj is a singer and songwriter, an all round creative to be fair.                      Thank you for the compliment and I have God to thank for my voice.

Where is Makhanj from and where did you grow up?

I’m from the Eastern Cape, Mthatha. 047 stand up!!!! Otherwise I moved a lot, as a kid. My mom was always getting promoted at work so I’ve lived all over the Eastern Cape, Durban, Pretoria, Nelspruit then back to Pretoria. Kuningi.

What was it like to be a member of your family?

I’m the last born so I’ve been babied a lot but being the only girl also means I had chores on chores on chores. I have a very fun & loving family so shout out to God for them, honestly.

Do you have any siblings?

I have two big brothers. Ey, bandla. 😂

Can you share 2 of your favourite moments growing up?

We moved a lot so whenever we’d go back to Mthatha to visit or when we’d travel by road to a holiday I loved the long drives. We’d put each other on to new music and chat and eat and laugh. I absolutely loved that so so much. Another one would be whenever I’d perform at school and I’d see my mom in the crowd cheering me on.

What one memory of your childhood was the most difficult for you?

One I can share would be moving from Durban. We’d lived there the longest and I felt I’d formed a really great community so leaving for Nelspruit (a place I ended up loving) was tricky at first. I stayed with my eldest brother at my mom’s house in Durban for 6 months whilst everyone else moved to Mpumalanga. I couldn’t let go of KZN, yho.

When were you first exposed to Music and how?

My mom was in the choir. My eldest brother is a DJ. My middle brother is music connoisseur. I literally was born into it. It’s always been there.

How did you discover your love for music?

My family loves music. I honestly can’t pin point a time.                                                    I’ve always free-styled songs alone and raps with my middle brother then I started actually writing in grade 4. I only started singing ‘properly’ outside of the choir in about grade 5 or 6.

Traditionally you have a smooth RnB-Soul sound, is that the music you are passionate about? and what inspired the shift into Amapiano?

I love RNB but I didn’t start with it. I  started rapping and then singing came along via  the school choir; I then began singing at church in my high school years. Otherwise, I found RNB music because during my primary school years because my middle brother always had new music. Always. He would  get volumes of songs and tell me to listen so that’s when I started hearing RNB and soul. I was always exposed to house because of my eldest brother and then Afro-pop, jazz, gospel music through my mother. I’ve never had one genre I focus on so Amapiano wasn’t really a shift, rather it was an addition to the things I was already into.

When you think about this music genre, Amapiano – what do you feel it means to you personally?

It means opportunity. It’s ours. We make the rules. It’s changed so many lives financially but oh how it’s changed lives spiritually. I don’t know how to explain it.

Can you name some of the songs you have worked on or some of the artists you have worked with?

I’ve been fortunate to work with incredible artists like Abidoza, DBN Gogo, Kelvin Momo, Mdu aka TRP, Tyla, Babalwa M, Tyler ICU, Khalil Harrison, Musa Keys, Kizz Daniel, Vine Musiq, Optimist Music ZA etc. the list is endless and I’m truly thankful to God.

Given that you are also a performer, when you are performing and can see people dancing and being moved by something you put together, how does that feel?

It just reminds me of how I’m fortunate to be a vessel of God. I know it’s sounds preachy but it’s crazy how a message you received can touch people that way. Crazy business, I tell you.

Do you remember a moment or interaction with a fan that left you thinking about the impact your art can have?

I’m fortunate to have more than one story to tell but a lady once DM’d me about how she’d lost her mom and a song I wrote had giving her comfort at that very low time. That touched my heart so so much. This gift is truly beyond us.

Take us into the studio, into your world for a second – how does it start? How do you write this music? What is your ritual? Your process?

There are three ways; I’ll freestyle, write in studio or come with something I wrote at home. I pray all the time so before studio, in studio, during studio. I don’t really have a ritual, I just always chat to the people around me, pray and listen for the message I get whilst listening to the production. There’s honestly no real process to list.

What is your most Popular Amapiano song to date?

I’m featured on a number of popular songs that I’ve written and co-written but one where I’m a primary artist is Bawo Vula with Sfarzo RTee.

When you created/wrote that song, how were you feeling? What happened that day? Was it an ordinary day? What about that track moves you?

I wrote it at home because I was hurt by whatever hurt me. By the time I went to record it , it had been about a month. When I went to studio I didn’t think I’d sing those words but something else happened that triggered the feelings I felt when I’d written it and because I always chat to the people around me in studio (after catching up with Sfarzo) I tried those lyrics and he was sold.

Delving a little more into your music, what parts of yourself do you see in songs like Bawo Vula, Ngisenkingeni, both with Sfarzo, and the more fun sounds like Possible, with DNB Gogo, Phambili, with Ultrasoft?

I love the Psalms in the bible. David would sing about many things and with Bawo Vula I genuinely just wanted to tap into that and complain to God, yho. Ngisenkingeni was the same but I wrote that intro in studio after Sfarzo played me the beat. It’s so deep and thought provoking – it allowed me the space to vent. I love Possible. The way it came about and the “Yho”. Honestly I kept saying ‘Yho’ cause I wasn’t sure what to sing and they loved it loooool. Phambili was such a fun song to make. I’m a serious person but I play way too much and I need for that to reflect in the music I make. I like that I’m multidimensional so I appreciate when producers allow me space to try new things.

How do you conceptualise the music you write and execute the delivery so that even with all the many elements of a song coming together, it still feels so incredibly authentic Amapiano, considering your background and love for RnB-Soul?

What a tricky question! I honestly can’t take credit for these songs – God gives them too me. I can maybe say I do my part by reading a lot, working out, chatting to people, observing and listening to many many genres as well challenging myself to try new things. I read a lot and I write a lot – I feel like those things exercise my brain so it’s fit to receive. You know?

What goes through your mind when you write and when you sing?

“God please 😩” I literally say this in studio on the mic. Out loud. Alllll the time.

What is it that you are trying to express in your music overall? Is it joy, is it perseverance – what would you say is your driving theme in your music?

It’s whatever I’m going through or whatever anyone I’ve spoken to is going through or whatever I’ve observed. It’s a ‘surroundings’ thing. I just want to always be authentic. Whatever it is that I’m singing about needs to be authentic.

When you create your music – what comes first in the process? The lyrics? the melody? The beat?

It depends. Freestyle – the words and sometimes they come like gibberish then I need to re-record and fix them. Writing at home – rotates between the melody and lyrics. If I’m in studio and I’m writing – it’s most likely the best. It depends.

What do you love about being an Amapiano artist?

Everyone is working. We are always working whether the next person sees it or not. It’s so encouraging. Anything can happen at any point. Your life can change because of a bigger artist or smaller artist – you never know. Just work harder.

What do you hate about being an Amapiano Artist?

Everyone is working. The moment you don’t post / release music it’s like you’ve fallen off. That’s not always healthy so the working hard thing is a gift and a curse. The moment you take a breather it’s like you’re falling behind.

We see a lot of successful collaborations in the music Industry and for the best ones it really boils down to chemistry and huge mutual respect – if you could choose – who in the Industry would you love to collaborate with and why?

I would love to work with Msaki from a writers perspective. I love how she delivers her messages. I feel I’d learn so much from her. She’s incredible, to me. I absolutely love Ami Faku as well yho.

As a genre Amapiano is evolving – what do you feel is your contribution in its evolution? How would you describe the future of Amapiano musically speaking?

Me being myself and showing up as myself. No one can do me the way I do. We sometimes get caught up in the hype but we need to learn to lean more on the notion that we are literally here for our own assignment. We’re going to go far as a genre as long as we remain authentic. This is a big genre that has many sub-genres – there’s so much to still discover. We just need to sort the admin side out so everyone can eat.

How would you describe your genre of Amapiano to a layman?

Always laid back. Whether it’s prayer or groove – it’s always laid back, to a degree.

What excites you about the future of Amapiano music and what scares you if anything?

I’m scared we never fix the admin thing and that we keep hearing stories about people being crooked. It’s not right. What excites me is that the pie is big enough for anyone and that it’s truly anyone’s game.

For those who may be new to piano, what is one track you would recommend they listen to from you?

Bane Bhongo with Villosoul featuring Gana

For someone who doesn’t know you, who hasn’t heard your music before, how would you describe your musical style overall?

You may not understand it but you’ll feel it.

You are presently working on a New EP, when is that dropping, when can the community expect it?

It’s dropping on the 5th of June, 2024! On a Wednesday!

What can people expect from that EP?

It’s short and sweet. There’s obviously a prayer, there’s obviously a love song. I love everyone that’s on the project that took the time out to pour into me. I’m just thankful. I hope people love it and share it and stream it and buy it and and and… “God please 😩” I literally say this in studio on the mic. Out loud. Alllll the time.”

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