Pretoria - Native Tribe has made many hit songs in his career, but his single Ancestor’s Calling does the trick for him.
To this day, the reaction when he hears it is “woah, I killed that one”.
He has several other songs that have captured the imagination of music lovers across the globe, such as Jahera Na, The Wolf And The Lion, Symbiote, Visions, Once Upon A Time, Winter’s Breeze and Kiwi’s Drumz. Such is the prowess of Native Tribe, born Tony Thamsanqa Magagula.
When he decided to pursue his love for music, he had to Google for a suitable name.
The 29-year-old is a music producer, DJ and owner of Suonare Records. He has two sisters and stays in Soweto Protea Glen Extension, and it is from here that all the hits are conceived.
His music is a fusion of tribal house, afro, tech and ancestral.
He gets inspired by any sound as long as it makes sense to him or resonates with what he is feeling at that particular moment.
“I am genuine and always put different emotions into a song I make. I connect with the soul more than anything. I am able to fuse and take my time to create music,” he said.
And all this did not happen by accident.
“To be honest, it was deliberate. I kept going and evolving and changing on every project until I became the artist and producer I am. My musical influences are the likes of Culoe De Son, Da Capo, Cuebur, Problem Child Ten83, Atjazz ‒ the list is very long.
“I take various elements from them to mould myself. They really connect with me on a soul level.”
Native Tribe said what kept him going was that he enjoyed being an artist and producer. “I get to feel every experience of music creation. That process is fun.
“I create music that says you are a powerful warrior and nothing will bring you down; you are strong.”
Asked for his views on the industry and his genres, he said these had evolved as people became familiar with the sound.
“However, I feel like there is lack of unity and love for each other as family. We need to support one another and be a unit like how the amapiano movement has done. There’s room for improvement.
“Gate keepers must open doors and let other artists in. Favouritism must stop, and we must put music first more than the ego.
“But on the flip side, the Afro house/tech movement has really shown growth.
“Our people are feeling what we create. Personally, my fighting spirit and creativity grew over the years.”
Pretoria News