25-year-old rapper and producer Anathi Mnyango, also known as Anatii shares with us the inspiration behind his new album and his success tips to young people
Anatii is arguably one of South Africa’s celebrated musicians who not only collaborated with local and international heavy weights such as Omarion, Tiwa Savage and AKA but has top charting hits to his name. On Friday, 05 October 2018 he released his second album, Iyeza, which topped Apple Music to number one, beating Lil Wayne. He set time from his busy schedule to chat with KDanielles Media:
Share with us what sparked your interest in music growing up?
I was working for my late father who was a DJ. There was always music in the house and we always entertained people through music. That’s how my love for music developed.
Journey us into how you broke into the mainstream music industry
The first song that I produced came out when I was sixteen years old and things grew from there. The biggest challenge was dealing with my age at that time, but I persisted nevertheless because I wanted to be taken seriously.
How would you define success and do you feel you have reached it?
For me, success is determined by how many people around you are successful and how many people are assisted in getting the platform to being who and what they can be. And yes, I feel I have reached success in my career.
What inspired your first and second albums?
Artiifact was inspired by my life’s journey. I wanted to create an artwork that’s relatable to South Africa. I had a lot of features and worked with a lot of people in the album. It was just one huge collaborative effort. With Iyeza it was me being vulnerable and giving people my own voice and that’s why I didn’t have a feature in it. I didn’t want my message to be diluted by other people’s ideas.
You have already worked with some great artists, who else would you like to work with in the future?
One of the people I would like to work with is Caiphus Semenya who has a great indigenous sound.
Who has had a big impact in your career who you give credit to your career growth?
Definitely, all the people who supported and believed in me over the years. I work with a number of producers and artists, vocalists and songwriters so I can’t give credit to just one person.
What have been some of your highlights in your career thus far?
Having a tour and shooting a music video with Omarion. My new album has received a lot of love and I feel it’s a step in the right direction because it’s a new chapter in my life and my expression.
If you could, what would change in the entertainment industry, especially in South Africa?
I would only want to change being able to give or open up a bigger platform to young and upcoming artists.
Your album went number one on Apple Music, how does that feel?
Waking up to the support from people was amazing. I really feel blessed. I would like to thank everyone who supports my music, especially this new offering.
What are your success tips to young people?
It’s important to believe in yourself and not conform to the pressures of social media and materialistic things. The most important thing is to find your purpose.
Check out Anatii’s new album on:
Follow Anatii on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisIsAnatii/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anatii/?hl=en
Twitter: @ANATII
