It was a warm Tuesday evening in September when Internet Athi joined us from Cape Town over a Teams call. Despite an eventful day, his energy was unmistakable — vibrant, grounded, and quick to fill the virtual room.
You have shared the story behind you debut single, “Wena”, and what it signifies to you. However, what is the story behind your second single, “Nguwe”?
“Nguwe” is a part of my upcoming album. It is an album that focuses on the different types of love that we all get to experience as people, and with “Wena” it was a kind of love that can be interpreted in multiple ways. But “Nguwe” was deliberately made to portray a romantic love and it is from the perspective of someone yearning to express their love to another person. With the shows that we’ve had in Cape Town, a lot of people have said that they feel represented by the song because it really does speak to that experience of yearning to love and be loved.
What were the key moments when making this song, and what was the intention when selecting the people who collaborated with you on this project?
A highlight for me when making [Nguwe] was that I got to dive deeper vocally than I did with “Wena”. I wanted the song to feel more vibrant and to have youthful elements in its production, and we managed to achieve this in terms of the sonic of the song. I had a few different collaborators for “Nguwe” than I had for my previous single, but the people that I got to work with for this song are frequent collaborators and we’ve developed a comfortable dynamic over time, so it felt right that they got to be a part of this song, and they are also collaborators on the entire album that is coming out later this year.
Speaking of the album, do both of your lead singles tell one cohesive story that forms part of one full body of work or are they two separate concepts?
Both singles tell one story and form part of a full story that the album is about. The album is titled “Polymorphism”, and it is me analysing the different forms of love. “Wena” was the song that aided in finding my community, audience and just people that are drawn to my sound, but “Nguwe” was me just pushing that sound further. The themes of the sound still do remain intact and I think both songs introduce what the concept of the album will be, and hopefully it will make sense to listeners why these two songs were the lead singles.
What is the signifance behind the title, “Polymorphism”?
My background is in technology, and polymorphism was one of the first things I learned in programming. Polymorphism is a concept in which an entity can take on many forms. Think of all the different roles and responsibilities we all have in our interpersonal relationships. The album aims to capture the different types of love that are represented in these relationships.
What do you want to put out into the world through this body of work?
The main thing I want to generate is intention. I want to drive a lot of intentionality with the sonic that I used in the album, as the songs do have a lot of meaning, but I also want the project to translate to the everyday person who just enjoys music. I would also like for people to immerse themselves in my sound and let it break through as far as it can possibly reach and let it be as universal as it can be. I also would love for this project to have been worth the wait to my core audience.
What is one recent mistake that has taught you the biggest lesson throughout your music journey?
Bookings can be quite challenging, as this has pushed me into doing remote shows and it taught me recently not to overextend myself as a creative. I think it’s best for one to work from a comfortable position so that their work is not compromised. Not overextending yourself as a creative, or as a businessperson. I would say that that was one of my biggest lessons this year.
In terms of the music that you have put out thus far, is there anything that you wish you had done differently?
It has been everything that I wanted and more, there is nothing in terms of the sonic that I would change. The music is as it should be and how I had always envisioned it. The only thing I could have done differently would be in relation to funding, so there is a lot that I have been learning through the monetary lens of the music business. These are lessons that I plan on carrying with me when working on future projects.
The post Shaping Sound Through Shaping Self: A Conversation With Internet Athi appeared first on EntertainmentSA News South Africa.
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