Upon being chosen by Apple Music for this accolade Mthunzi, excitedly said: “This is one of the best things and highlights in any musicians career, I am grateful to Apple Music for their continuous support to artists and it is a great honour.”
The self-taught pianist and guitarist from Kwa-Zulu Natal, has melded a hybrid of styles which marry the best of Maskandi, House, Afro-Pop and RnB. On his 16-track debut album ‘Selimathunzi’ (which means “Sunset”), Mthunzi collaborates with some of Mzansi’s finest including Sun-El Musician, S-Tone, Ami Faku, Simmy, Sino Msolo and Claudio X Kenza.
Mthunzi who is part of Sun El Musician’s El World Music family had this to say: “I had my first deal with a company called Mapsit, but nothing important materialized until I posted a video on social media tagging @sunelmusician, singing cover music from his label El World Music, which is when I got a call and Sun-EL Musician invited me to his studio. We worked on a few songs where I recorded my first single, “Vuka” and a follow up “Insimbi” which is a collaboration with Sun-EL Musician.”
Recounting his favourite moments in his musical career up to now he mentions “getting a call from Sun-EL asking me to join EL World and traveling Africa performing”, both game-changing experiences for any South African artist.
About Apple Music's New Artist Spotlight
Apple Music’s New Artist Spotlight is a monthly artist development feature focussed on identifying, showcasing and elevating rising star talent across Africa. Each month, Apple Music's editorial team selects an artist to promote, utilizing the full extent of the platform to raise awareness of the artist. The program has been running for the past four years and the support given to artists includes main page and genre page featuring, inclusion on the global African Editor page, Beats 1 support, inclusion in top playlists including Mzansi Hits, A-List South Africa, Mzansi House, Future Hits, Mzansi Hip-Hop, New Music Daily, Rising, the brand new playlist Africa Now and more!
Past New Artist Spotlight talent includes award winning and critically acclaimed artists such as Sho Madjozi, Amanda Black, Shekhinah, Shane Eagle, Sun El Musician, The Big Hash, Simmy, Ami Faku and Elaine.
Apple Music’s New Artist Spotlight is a monthly artist development feature focussed on identifying, showcasing and elevating rising star talent across Africa. Each month, Apple Music's editorial team selects an artist to promote, utilizing the full extent of the platform to raise awareness of the artist. The program has been running for the past four years and the support given to artists includes main page and genre page featuring, inclusion on the global African Editor page, Beats 1 support, inclusion in top playlists including Mzansi Hits, A-List South Africa, Mzansi House, Future Hits, Mzansi Hip-Hop, New Music Daily, Rising, the brand new playlist Africa Now and more!
Past New Artist Spotlight talent includes award winning and critically acclaimed artists such as Sho Madjozi, Amanda Black, Shekhinah, Shane Eagle, Sun El Musician, The Big Hash, Simmy, Ami Faku and Elaine.
With over 60 million songs, Apple Music offers a free 3-month trial with no commitment and is ad-free. Apple Music is available on iPhone and iPad and also for download from Google Play for Android devices.