Musician Muziwakhe Muzi Mazibuko chats to us about his music career and upcoming performance at AFROPUNK Paris. By Kwanele Mathebula
I grew up in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal. I am the youngest of five children and completed my schooling in Durban. I grew up listening to music from artists such as Daft Punk, which heavily influenced the type I make. In 2015, I travelled to Berlin, Germany, where my first full-length album, Boom Shaka, was birthed. A fusion of electronic music and African rhythms, the album thrust me into the spotlight, resulting in my career taking off.
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I love that music is healing. Mine is very therapeutic, and the release allows me to feel light. This is also why I create music all the time.
I have many career highlights. I’ve made music for Apple, played at AFROPUNK Joburg and crowd-surfed in France, which was amazing. Also, having hit songs being played all over the world with isiZulu lyrics is incredible. This is because as a child, I never thought that was possible, especially coming from where I’m from.
My performance at AFROPUNK Joburg led me to the Paris leg of the festival. In 2018, I played a great set at Afropunk Joburg. I was the only artist with an encore that led to Afropunk Paris and Brooklyn inviting me a few weeks later. My performance and music spoke for itself, and it’s humbling to be acknowledged by the festival.
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I am excited to tour the rest of 2019. I will be touring Europe, UK, Canada and US until the end of August. I am also releasing a new album mid-October, which will be followed by a tour in SA. Some other projects are also in the works; watch this space!