Djembe Music Blog

Its one thing to imagine actualizing your dreams and its another to put in the work to make it a reality. Being secluded with “what if” is still not out of the ordinary but a moment when your 2am thoughts have manifested is the reason no one should doubt their abilities.

Dxniel Fxrbes, a South African 18 year old artist born in Pretoria, takes us on a journey to see his world of how manifestation and persistence can yield a bewildering success.

To kickstart,Dxniel Fxrbes, kindly Introduce yourself to Djembe readers and to your fans

Hello Djembe readers. My name Daniel Vunza, popularly know as Dxniel Fxrbes (pronounced Daniel Forbes)from Pretoria South Africa. I am a singer, songwriter & record producer and my main genres are Hip-Hop and R&B.

You chose to do music at an early age, did your childhood ever impact your career?

My musical journey started in late 2018 when I decided to finally drop my first ever single, but before then, as a child I use to admire listening the music my dad’s playlist. I always paid attention to the details of the song and would even go as far as memorising drum patterns of certain songs. I was doing all this at the age of 5 years old and when I look back at it, it really fascinates me because I have come to realise that music has always been a part of me since birth.

How did your parents receive the news of you becoming an artist since you are young?

We all know how most African parents would react when they find out their child wants to become a musician instead of a doctor or engineer. Surprisingly, I only got that sort of reaction from my mother. She was not pleased when she found out that I chose the path of music. She still insists that it is a bad I idea but supports me either way, she probably thinks its a phase. My father on the other hand supports me to the fullest because he loves the fact that I am embracing my talent.

Your name, Dxniel Fxrbes, is there are reason you added “X” ?

Before I got the name Dxniel Fxrbes, I had a very long rap name which made me realise that the name wouldn’t look nice next to an R&B singer’s name if we were to ever collaborate. So it led me to changing my name to a more sophisticated one. I put the Xs only for it to look more appealing, there is no significant meaning behind it.

Walk me through your previous projects, how was the curating process like?

I remember every single detail of when I made every single song of mine. The curation was remarkable because I get to challenge myself in so many ways. Especially in my debut project THIS IS ME, even though I had some songs on standby, making new songs to match the energy of the other songs to recreate a certain feeling throughout the album was quite challenging but I would relive the experience any day.

Your latest EP, “From Me to You”, is a unique 3 track EP can you tell Djembe the inspiration behind each song?

From me, To you is one of my special pieces of work.
The first song to be recorded was Call You. I had the song idea in my head for about 2 days and each time i kept reciting it, it kept sounding better and better, making the beat 2 was fun. I fused 2 guitar samples and made it sound like it was one whole thing. Everything else from the drums to the vocals just fit perfectly afterwards.
I Need U is a masterpiece on its own. What inspired me is that I wanted to create a love song with a catchy hook and verses which allow me to pour my emotions out. Not really much to say but that is how the song vame about and it is my favourite song in the project.
One Call feat. JaySplxff is a classic. When the song was sent to me I immediately went crazy. Everything from the beat to the chorus was just so perfect and I knew I was the missing element. The song was first released on Soundcloud under JaySplxff’s name but I later asked for ownership for the song to be released on all platforms and the rest is history.

As a South African, how has your environment boosted your music career?

South Africa’s biggest genre right now is Amapiano, it is quite hard to gain traction if you are not creating a similar sound to that. But it is not impossible. My fan base keeps growing each day and I can see the music is spreading to a wider audience. That goes to show that there are people who are really into the kind of music I make. Very soon my name will be buzzing everywhere.

Where do you envision Dxniel Fxrbes to be in the next 3 years?

In 3 years time I want to have the whole of South Africa singing my tunes & also performing in different African countries. Nigeria is one of the countries on my bucket list. Working and collaborating with the country’s biggest artists and producers will be a dream come true and I know that I am close to my destiny.

Just be consistent. Don’t stop using your talent, do not stop making music – Dxniel Fxrbes

If you could tell an 18 year old artist who doubts his/her self, what would you say?

To another 18 year old artist, I would tell them to not give up on their dream. Having doubts is normal but don’t let those doubts overpower what is really important. Someone out there is going to hear you and your life is going to change. Just be consistent and don’t stop using your talent, do not stop making music.

Is there anything you would like to add to what you have said or get to understand better about Djembe?

I just want to say thank you Djembe for featuring me in this month’s issue. It means a lot and I wish and pray for greater things for Djembe and it’s readers.

And with that, our conversation with the young South African music artist came to an end. Dxniel Fxrbes is a proof that nurturing your talent and taking a bold step to actualize is not far fetched. Keep up with this buzzing artist via Instagram and to listen to his new EP, From Me, To You