Rising amapiano producer Ntsako XVI has his sights set on pivoting, transitioning from the behind-the-scenes job of record producing to the limelight of lead artistry. The pioneer of the self-coined Nyakanyaka sound made his mark earlier this year with his viral single, “Ngeke,” and with the year drawing to a close, Ntsako’s aim is to go out with a bang while laying the foundation for his body of work.
Leading up to the release of his forthcoming extended play, Ntsako dropped “Kanjalo Kanjalo”. He talked about the significance of the song as the project’s lead single.
“Going into the release of my EP, I chose this song because I loved the sound of it and what it is, and I decided to go for it because the people have also received it warmly, so it made a lot of sense to give people something they’ve been asking for. So it wasn’t just one thing about the song, which is me loving it, but also that people have been asking for it,” he said.
Ntsako XVI | SUPPLIED
XVI spoke about the creation process behind the song, talking about its creative evolution and the sound’s growth.
“When I first made the song, the feel was completely different, even the beat. This one time I was in the studio, and we were listening to that version of the song, and we just felt it would be better for the song to change the beat. The beat was chill and had a whole different vibe, and we felt that it would be best to change it to something groovy. We wanted to do something different, you know, but we still wanted it to have that groovy thing about it.
“I’m a person who likes fast music, music that makes people dance. So the shift from it being a relaxed song to what we changed it into was for the purpose of making it a song that will do well on the dance floors,” he said.
Ntsako expressed satisfaction with the song’s success and his plans for the rest of 2026.
“So far, everything is coming together nicely. The song is pushing the EP well, and the numbers are looking good, and the bookings are coming in. So I will say that everything is looking good for the rest of the year,” he said.
Ntsako XVI | SUPPLIED
Ntsako reflected on his evolution, from being a producer to being a lead of his own music. From getting more call-ups to cementing his place in the industry, he talked about the perks of the transition.
“Growth is a good thing because it puts you in places where you don’t have to explain who you are. You don’t run around convincing people about what you have to offer. People just know you, and you start getting more gigs and calls without you having to do too much. It’s a two-way thing now. There is a give-and-take dynamic in my relationships now. That makes my work simple as an artist, you understand? It also has a lot of benefits to it, and one of them is that I see what I’m working for,” he said.
Ntsako shared what he wished his legacy would be.
“My sound is experimental, so I want people to know and remember me as an artist who went beyond the limit and created his own lane with his different perspective when it comes to music,” he said.
Ntsako XVI | SUPPLIED
The yanos artist highlighted work ethic as being paramount in the path to mastery.
“Working with people regularly and being consistent in making music are the things that have gotten me where I am right now. Nothing beats working, because the more you work, the more chances you create for yourself,” he said.
Ntsako singled out producer Funky QLA as a name he’d like to work with someday.
“Someone I’d really like to work with right now is Funky QLA. I’d like to get into afro-house, afro-tech and Gqom. Sounds like that. That’s what I’d like to work on because it’s so good,” he said.
