TTGO
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/266110392" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]In the same way that the Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory was the place where Charlie realized his dreams and fortune, Johannesburg is the same to up and coming musicians. For Thato ‘TTGO” Sibanda, studying at the University of Johannesburg was a way to get closer to his dreams of becoming a musician. I first met TTGO on the basketball courts of St. Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls in Pretoria during the basketball playoffs for all local high schools and later started to listen to his mixtapes like ‘Almost Decent’ and ‘Nomad: Lost in Time’. With time and growth TTGO has managed to grab attention with his most recent single ‘Mfana Pitori’, so as someone who can confidently say that I “listened to [his] mixtapes” I had questions!Q: You mentioned to me that you started getting into buying your own equipment at 16, but when did you come up with your stage name and what inspired it?
A: I’m a writer at heart, so from when I was younger I remember drawing and writing my own comics, writing poetry, and editing songs for friends. In the 4th grade I chose TTGO randomly, and honestly there isn’t some secret meaning or acronym behind it. People always ask me what it stands for, but it literally is just meant to stand for freedom. I knew that I could call myself anything I wanted and it wouldn’t change the music or the message at all, so that’s the best way to show creative freedom for me. It didn’t matter what I named myself, the music was still going to be dope.
Q: For someone who knew what they wanted to do with their life from the fourth grade, what prompted you to study a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics & Econometrics?
A: It’s one of those life things whereby I always knew that I needed to go to Joburg to chase my dreams. At the time my parents weren’t vibing with that idea and they wanted me to get an education. Getting around to choosing economics was one of those decisions where I thought to myself “well I am halfway decent at economics,” and decided to study that. To be honest, studying in Johannesburg was my ticket to chasing my dreams in the city, getting my degree is just the plane I used to get there.
Q: What is the best part about being a musician for you?
A: Live performances are really important to me. I feel like as someone who makes music, when you’re in front of a crowd, you really get to gage the crowd’s honest reaction to your music. If you are trash, the crowd will tell you, and if you are good, the crowd will rock with you. People literally get to feel your energy, whereas when they listen to you in the comfort of their homes they don’t really get to see what you are as an artist.
Q: You have undergone tremendous changes in your sound and production since your first mixtape. From a production point of view, how have things changed since then?
A: Buying equipment at 16 changed everything; investing in myself is really important to me. By getting my own stuff, it gave me a lot of time to practice what I was doing. Before I had been doing a lot of writing, but buying the equipment gave me the chance to work on how I recorded my work.Almost Decent was my first attempt at putting something together really. I even knew at the time that I would be way better in the future, so I was literally “almost decent” at making music. My production was shaky, I’ll admit, but I’m glad that I released it. It was definitely a learning experience. Back then I was using instrumentals I didn’t own, but by my second tape I owned my beats. Investing in myself was not just buying equipment, but it was also being willing to buy beats and book studio time as well. My growth I think really came from me committing my time and energy to the dream.
Q: When I met you back in 2013, you had a group of friends who have now formed a collective based out of Cape Town called Tone Society. What has your experience been maintaining your own creative direction when you are surrounded by so many different creatives whose energy you feed off?
A: When you tell people about what your sound is, it can be very border line; so in essence never totally one thing or another. There is no sound that is set in stone. As a musician, I develop, I grow, out of one sound and into another. The same goes for the people around me. We get to expose each other to different energies all of the time. When I’m in class, I’m surrounded by people who aren’t creative...it’s just numbers! For me to be with creative people and in creative spaces is very therapeutic for me. It’s a beautiful time to be young and to be in such a creative space in South Africa.
Keep up with TTGO!Twitter Instagram Soundcloudwww.ttgomusic.wordpress.com