By Mosa Matela
Thabile Mpakane, known as Vxnni, has made inroads in the music scene with ‘Insert Title EP’, his debut offering.
Mpakane collaborated with home-based artists to create a project filled with raw and authentic music.
‘Insert Title EP’ is set to give listeners a glimpse of who Mpakane is beneath the surface. It starts off with a lot of depth as he raps about how he wants this EP to be seen as his way of telling his story. Through this project the artist takes listeners with him along his journey towards chasing glory.
Mpakane has collaborated with three other artists, namely: Nickson Thabane, NITRO LVIII and Ciro.
He told this publication that he was absolutely thrilled to be working with these artists, and during the making of this project he gained a lot of knowledge and motivation from working in their presence as they are all in their element.
“I was privileged enough to get to be in the studio at the same time as some of them and I genuinely got to admire their craft. I got to see them doing their thing live, and this motivated me to push myself even harder on this EP,” Mpakane said.
He goes on to praise how skilled the above-mentioned artists are and insists that he would work with them again.
Since his venture into the music industry, Mpakane has faced one problem, which is staying true and authentic to himself.
He noted that pressure and outside influence often made him want to sway in a different direction. However, he is well aware that he has to work extremely hard and grow as an artist for him to reach a stage where he is comfortable and confident in himself and his craft.
“It gets hard to shut out the voices and focus on your passion and on what you want to do. Naturally, you will want the admiration and support from other people.
“It took some time for me to realise that what makes me truly happy is staying true to myself and not conforming to the standards and expectations that are thrown my was as an artist,” he said.
Mpakane also revealed that he prefers to give listeners space to experience his art in their own way, instead of allowing them to dictate what he releases.
He said he has transitioned from being an artist that makes music based on what’s popular to being an artist that makes music based on his own experiences and feelings.
Listeners should view this EP as a linear plot. In the beginning, it is all about introspection and as it goes on, the artist finally gives listeners a glimpse of who he truly is and how far he has come.
‘Insert Title EP’ is available now on Spotify and Apple Music.
