Konke’s spectacular rise has been a sight to behold. The 20-year-old singer, whose real name is Phiwakonke Ntokozo Ntanzi, exploded onto the scene in May when he released his debut single, “Kancane”, alongside award-winning amapiano star, Musa Keys.
Despite only being out for a couple of months now, “Kancane” is one of the year’s most popular songs.
In August, just three months after its release, Konke closed the South African Music Awards with a stunning performance of the hit single alongside Keys.
Eager to maximise the growing hype, earlier this month the pair turned up the heat with the release of another single, “Mnike”, which has been an instant hit on the radio. It’s been quite the start.
When we speak over the phone, Konke says he’s just landed in Durban, where he’s based, after a short visit to Joburg to perform on Channel O’s Massive Music. He’s been making the trip to and from Joburg almost every week.
While his meteoric rise has taken some adjusting to, it’s been a journey he’s been enjoying.
“It’s super amazing,” he says. “It just requires me to allocate my time efficiently. It’s also just given me a very great experience, getting to know different places, and travelling around different countries.
“The experience on its own is dope to a point where you feel like, eish, whenever I’m not moving or not going anywhere it’s actually not my life.”
He credits his management and team at the House of Tayo and T-Effect for doing an amazing job with his career so quickly.
Konke’s roller-coaster ride started in March when Keys came across a video he’d posted of himself singing on Instagram. Impressed by what he saw, Keys commented on the post before sending him a direct Mmssage (DM), requesting that the two work together.
Konke remembers seeing the DM only around five hours later, because he’d been busy studying in the library at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where he’s in the third year of his law degree.
“I knew I had to reply or react very, very fast, so I sent my contact details as he requested. Same time, he gave me a call and he said he wants me in Jozi so we can record something.
“We did that and, within two days, ‘Kancane’ was born. It was the brightest new beginning. Things just started moving and changing.”
One of the new amapiano star’s most pertinent challenges is to figure out how to balance his musical success with his studies. When he completes his degree, Konke plans on using and merging his skills as a musician with his legal acumen.
“What I’m trying to do is to use my legal skills to venture into music in a very broad way by becoming someone’s legal adviser or lawyer. I want to do this while being an artist, using the skills and qualifications that I have.”
With “Mnike” and “Kancane” continuing to make waves, Konke and the House of Tayo collective are planning on releasing a new EP before he releases his own solo project early next year.
Before Keys came knocking and seeing that the amapiano scene in Durban wasn’t flourishing, Konke had been experimenting with various genres, among them RnB and hip hop.
“It was super dope until I met Keys,” he says.
Since meeting Keys and seeing his life change in the blink of an eye, Konke adds that the most surprising aspect of the journey has been how fast things can change in the industry.
“The industry is a platform or environment where, if you work hard, you have the capability to outrun the people who you found in the industry already. It’s a space that’s so open and one that really rewards hard work.
“If you work hard, just know that at some point you will reap the reward for your hard work.”
Another realisation he’s had since breaking into the industry is that amapiano is even bigger than he’d thought.
“It’s growing and it’s not stopping anytime soon. It’s something that’s going to get better and better each and every day. Like there’s no way we can say at some point in time that people will forget about amapiano. There’s no way.
“It’s that sound that’s opening doors for many, many people, especially the youth. People have started life from the sound. I can say that amapiano is God’s way of saving the youth.
“Considering this country is suffering from high levels of unemployment, this sound has just come in and opened doors for people to make a living and change the situation at home for their families.
“Amapiano is everything.”
Despite only getting into making amapiano music this year, Konke says he was an early admirer and has been listening and enjoying the sound since it first went mainstream.
“Now, it’s time that I participate and make an impact, just like the grootmans (elders) in the game, and make sure that I deliver.”
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