Grounded in the heritage, the culture, and the matrix of being Xhosa, the music behind amapiano singer-songwriter Makhanj’s debut album is more than a tribute—it’s a running eulogy. Named after her hometown, Transkei, the album bookmarks a chapter in her life that speaks of growth and evolution without despising her roots.
Speaking of the project, which she described as an opus of cultural pride and self-discovery explored through the sonic channels of amapiano and afro-tech, Makhanj shared the inspiration behind the album and the underpinnings of the music.
“My debut album, Transkei, is all about me taking things all the way back home and telling people about my love for my origins, my heritage, and my love for isiXhosa as a language and as a culture. The themes that I wanted to see governing the project are identity and knowing yourself. I want people to do the same for themselves because as people we are so easily consumed by everything happening around us and by life. So, it’s important to be grounded in knowing yourself and your identity without ever being swayed by the things we see on social media and just in life in general,” she said.
Makhanj | SUPPLIED
Makhanj indulged her fans with the release of her single “Phepha Abanye” alongside amapiano record producer Atmos Blaq. She spoke briefly about the making of the song.
“The song ‘Phepha Abanye’ was the second song we did, Atmos Blaq and I. The first song was on the emotional side of things, but with ‘Phepha Abanye’, it was something different. When Atmos sampled the beat for me, I was actually surprised. You know how people tend to put you in a box and try to categorise you based on what you’ve already done in the past because they think that’s what you’re good at? I feel like the song freed me from that, and it reminded me how much I enjoyed doing something out of my comfort zone.
“I feel like the song is production-heavy, and there are so many elements to the production that compelled me to actually get in studio and say something. This something had been bubbling inside of me for a while, but I also didn’t want my writing to be super detailed—I just wanted something straight and to-the-point,” she said.
Check out “Phepha Abanye”:
Makhanj talked about her music being a beacon of hope and how the single sparked that reflection.
“During the making of ‘Phepha Abanye,’ I realised how much I loved singing about the light at the end of the tunnel, the silver lining of dark clouds. I wanted to keep that theme in my songwriting because we all need hope and something to look forward to. Yes, not everything will be roses and marshmallows, but it’s important to take some time to look around in your life and progressively reflect on things and to also look at yourself and what you’re contributing in this life,” she said.
The songstress shared the importance of making the album a visually-inclined project so people know who she is.
“With Transkei, I aimed to make it a very visual project. Because while people know my songs, I’ve realised that it takes them time to put my face on the music. So one of my focuses with the album is to have a lot of visuals out there so people can associate my music with my face,” she said.
Makhanj | SUPPLIED
The crooner revealed that she wanted to do more live shows with industry friends.
“I’m very happy with my growth in terms of the writing and the people I’ve been working with and the genres I’ve been exploring. I want to do and curate more live shows and interactive things in terms of working with live bands. So for me it’s not just about me performing by myself but about bringing on my colleagues as well,” she said.
The muso rounded up the conversation with some of the plans she had in mind for the rest of the year.
“Looking at the rest of 2026, my thing is about pushing this project. People always come to me wondering why I don’t push my projects a lot, so that’s what I’ll be focused on for the rest of the year. I’ll also be doing more live shows and gigs, so that’s another thing to look out for, music-wise. There’s also more music I’d like to put out in addition to everything I’ve just dropped. I want to put myself out there a bit more and to come out of my shell,” she said.
