Amapiano is a sub-genre of house, deep house, jazz, and lounge music with strong influences for 90s kwaito. Mr JazziQ has released his solo album which has taken over radio airwaves and will cross over to audiences outside of eKasi.
Tumelo Manyoni, known as JazziQ emerged as part of the duo called JazziDisciples, a DJ/Producer combination that released an impressive set of musical projects that lead to the rapid rise of Amapiano from the township straight into the heart of mainstream. Together with Josiah De Disciple, JazziQ was instrumental in pioneering Amapiano, alongside the likes of DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small, helping turn it into one of the most popular sounds of South Africa over the past few years. He is your regular cool Kasi guy from the streets of Alex with a dream of becoming a world-renowned artist and a vision to change the sound of South African music.
We get some insight into who this DJ maverick is and what else he has in store for the music industry.
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOU
I was born and raised in Alexandra, a township of Johannesburg. I went to Orchards Primary School and then finished my high school at Highlands North Boys High School. Growing up I had a lot of cousins. We grew up as brothers and sisters and all of us were raised by our loving Gogo.
HAS MUSIC ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING YOU WANTED TO MAKE?
It was the first thing on my list to venture into after high school but I knew my family would not agree and let me do it. So I found something else that I loved and decided to study Fashion Media, although I didn't finish my course. So if I hadn’t fallen into music I’d probably be in fashion.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR ALBUM
My album is called ‘Party With The English’. This album was mostly inspired by my late grandma. She was a very big music lover, and mostly inspired my taste in music. For me, this album is to show gratitude to her for all the love and wisdom she gave me. She was a very sophisticated woman, so when I say ‘Party with the English’ I mean we are taking the Amapiano genre to a higher level of elegance and to a bigger and diverse audience now. It’s no longer just the township vibes, but a genre for all South Africans.
Creating this project was very exciting. I had to come up with a lot of things conceptually and it's great that people are loving it and understanding what we’re trying to do. This new direction of sound is to let people know that Amapiano does not have to end here eLokshini, it can reach and cross over to other audiences and is not only limited to us. This is a risk I’ve taken and it’s sure to pay off because I believe in it.
WHO IS INSPIRING YOU AND YOUR MUSIC RIGHT NOW?
It would have to be Ricky Rick. He’s like a big brother to me. When I see him, I see myself in the coming years. I know him and have gained valuable knowledge and wisdom from him. One of the important lessons he has taught me is to never allow people to control your emotions because some people will provoke you and drag you into something that you shouldn’t be a part of. It’s best to not entertain such things because it’s not worth the energy and the unnecessary consequences. He’s encouraged me to always focus on myself because if I choose to listen and absorb negative comments about me, I’ll surely have restless nights. For everyone else though, life carries on. This has become my coping mechanism when it comes to challenges, I just stay true to my path and continue to do what I have set out to do.
WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH?
There’s a long list right now of exceptional artists that I’d like to work with like Wizkid, Burna Boy, Mr Easy, and Masego.
WHAT PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE FUTURE?
My real plan is to be the biggest artist in Africa, so that’s the path I’m on right now and I’m 100% focused on that.
WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?
For me, each day is unpredictable. I never have any free time. I always have work to do and places to be.
IF YOU HAD A SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I would want to give people opportunities. No matter what someone is trying to achieve for the betterment of their lives, I’d like to be that superhero that makes it happen for them.
WHAT ARE THE MOST INTERESTING THINGS YOU’VE SEEN OR READ RECENTLY?
I recently met a guy from Namibia who is the same age as me, and while chatting with him, I found out that he has 52 trucks as his business. It motivated me to work even harder and achieve that kind of success. I want to reach an exponential level of success and people like him give me that motivation.
Related article: Turn up the volume with Miss Cosmo
AMAPIANO BEAT WITH: MR JAZZIQ
Reviewed by Michelle Pienaar
on
May 25, 2021
Rating:
Reviewed by Michelle Pienaar
on
May 25, 2021
Rating:
