23 Feb 2016

He is a self-taught performer, musical instrument player, producer, composer, sound engineer and promoter. Phemelo Albert Moikabi popularly known as Chantty Natural is amazingly talented in music.

He traces his talent to Letsopa Junior Secondary School when variety shows were held during the mid-1990s not only to entertain students but to unearth talent as well. Although his relationship with music dates back to his school days, Chantty Natural said he persuaded his passion with seriousness in 2000 when he ditched his job as labourer, a trade he joined after his schooling.

He said he left his maiden job to fulfill a void created by the love for music and  by 2004, he had recorded four albums with two different record labels. Unfortunately none of those albums were ever released. “The studio owners disappeared with my materials even unto this day,” he said.

Dejected and rejected, the predicaments were enough inspiration to open a recording studio although the journey was not an easy one.

He said luckily, his mother provided him with funds to procure musical band equipment and this led to the birth of Troubadours band, which later changed its name to Lion Paw after a series of other names.

To keep his dream alive, he used his share of the income from the band to raise capital to invest in more studio equipment. In 2006, he applied for funding again through the Youth Development Fund (YDF) and he succeeded

Nonetheless, he never counted himself out even though the circumstances seemed contrary. He said his day-to-day experiences and the desire to become a better person fueled his inspiration.

“In 2014, I tried my luck again with YDF and my application for funding of a project worth P100 000 was successful. Through the funding, I acquired more studio and sound equipment through my company which is based in Ramotswa,” he said.

He counts music brands like Tomeletso Sereetsi and the Natives, Flexxy, Letso Omtaka, Eureka, Kabo Leburu, Ntirelang Berman and Tandoors Records from Johannesburg as some of those who have obtained production services from his studio.

The musician said because of the studio, he has also managed to perform alongside the legendary Johnny Mokhali, Sound of Edutainment (SOE) from Johannesburg, South Africa and Conscious Reggae Vibes from Mahalapye.His company, Wired Productions has managed to shine through and has been providing sound equipment and engineering for the Balete Culture Day since its inception in 2011. Ends