Once upon a time in the beautiful land of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, a talented young artist by the name of “Lil Emi” was born , not knowing that in years to come he would embark on a musical road to pursue a dream of stardom . “Lil Emi” a young man from the small town of Mount Fletcher in the Eastern Cape, is a musician exploring a path through Hip-Hop, Trap, Afro Soul and RnB, to develop his talent from a holistic perspective.

In February 2017 ‘Lil Emi’ independently released his debut single ‘Pull Up’ featuring ‘Insane’, produced by Andy Beats, which exceeded expectations and resulted in over 20,000 online downloads. The song had been so well received, that ‘Pull Up’ charted at #3 on Mdantsane FM and #1 on Kumkani FM. I guess with such great start to your musical career, it’s only natural for morale to be high and to build on that momentum, which is exactly what he did. By the end of 2017 he hosted his first musical event to an audience of 1,325 people, and led to his first endorsement deal with Trvgic Lifxstylx. So just when you think it can’t get any better, he performs alongside acclaimed artists like Lady Zamar, Zodwa Wabantu, Somizi, Dr Malinga, and Mafikizolo to name a few, at the Matatiel Jazz Festival. Definitely not a bad way to end your 2017, feeling motivated, inspired and optimistic about all the possibilities that could exist for a man who just the other day recorded his debut track.

LIL Emi & Insane – Mary Mary

After the success of 2017, Lil Emi kicked off his 2018 by releasing the single “Nam Angazi”, capturing the attention of Africa Unite Records, and led to him signing with the record label. The label saw the potential in this young man and immediately got him into the studio; releasing the track ‘Mary Mary’ considered a club banger. If you asked Lil Emi what was the highlight of 2018, he would say:

“… my biggest achievement has been my performance at The Sneaker Exchange event in Newtown Junction in Johannesburg, being one of only two artists with Insane from the Eastern Cape to perform there with the likes of Frank Casino, Cassper Nyovest, Ricky Rick, etc…”

In terms of interviews, Lil Emi’s been interviewed on Alex FM and Kasie Fm who believe in his potential. His latest released single and music video is for the song  “Andiyi Ndawo” featuring June vth, produced by Andy Beats. The song is currently playlisted on Kumkani FM, Keith Ngesi Radio, and chartered at #1 on Alex FM based in Johannesburg. Watch Lil Emi’s “Andiyi Ndawo” music video below.

Lil Emi & June vth – Andiyi Ndawo (Official Music Video)

Get the single on itunes here,
Lil Emi’s single is also available on CD Baby

We caught up with Lil Emi to talk about his latest song and more, which can be found below:

What is the meaning of the song and where did the inspiration for the song come from?
“Well, the song is based on a true story. It was just another day at the studio with my producer AndyBeats and June vth. Andy was creating a beat and I started writing on it.”

“At the time I was writing the chorus I didn’t realize I was talking about what’s actually happening in my life. I think that’s how music is, when you hurting or happy, your mind just automatically channels your writing through your emotions.”

“Andy said I should try the hook. So as I was rehearsing it, they started calling out the name of the girl I was going through this with at the time and when I really looked deep into my lyrics I realized I was really talking about myself. So I ran with that idea and recorded the hook. My boss “Jacob” came through as the chorus was still playing. He went crazy over the song and they pushed that I write my verse. I wrote my verse and June vth came through on the 2nd verse since we working on a joint Ep called “Indwendwe” meaning a Visitor.”

How long did it take to make this song?
“The song was recorded over 2 days and we shot the video over the following 2 days by Avymagz. Over that two days, we started hyping the song coz we also decided to just release the song. And people responded quite well and were also pushing it.”

What were the responses you got when the song released?
“On the release day, we kept getting calls, text and messages of people asking us about the link. So people were waiting on the track. When we released it, it was magical. The response was just too much. We reached over one thousand downloads on the first day of release and over 700 views on YouTube and our subscribers went up too as this was the first official video to drop. And we still haven’t started with our full marketing plan of the song.”

What are you currently working on that fans can expect?
“Right now we working on releasing a joint Ep with June vth called “Indwendwe” The Ep is basically about how someone came and left your life just as a visitor does. We going for the Afro beats on the Ep.”

This year will be a good year for my supporters because I’m planing on releasing 4 Ep’s including the one I’m releasing with June. I’ll be releasing joint Ep’s with Pray September, Insane and another one Deens Deenaro. Grapes Ep was supposed to be released last year but we had some glitches and had to postpone.

Otherwise, this is just the beginning for me. I want to grow. The plan is to Unite People through music and fashion. “The mistake that the industry will do is to let us in coz we will take over”

Keep up with Lil Emi on the platforms below:
Soundcloud
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter

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