“I discovered Tebogo and Moeketsi about 3 years ago while performing in Braamfontein at the Neighborgoods market. There was something about their energy on stage that I loved. I have seen a lot of bands perform, but with them, there was some energy I liked that told me they belonged with Sid Records. We exchanged contacts and the rest is history. With the new material, we see MoChikito exploring African soul sounds which have yet to be boxed into any particular genre. The music is ethic sounding, with rich African melodies and gentle beats that will appeal to a broader audience” says Psyfo – MoChikito’s Producer & Sid Records CEO.
MoChikito is a name that combines the duo’s first names, Mo for Moeketsi and Chikito which is a nickname Tebogo was given by his dad, who is of Portuguese background.
While the duo are adding the finishing touches to their upcoming, debut album scheduled for release in 2019 - MoChikito aim to move music lovers into a fresh feel good space with their single Ngiyamuthanda feat. Thabsie.
Tebogo explains, “Ngiyamuthanda is a feel good song. Love is the influence. We decided to feature Thabsie on vocals because she is perfect for the sound we were going for. On Ngiyamuthanda we use multiple South African languages. You'll hear there's a bit of Zulu, Tsonga and Xhosa in the song, as you will find on other tracks on the upcoming album - we are influenced by diversity and connect musically with everyone.”
Moeketsi describes the sound that is MoChikito saying, “… it’s a mixture of everything we have been listening to and that we have experienced, from playing in church to jazz and even hip hop - our sound is broad and cannot be put in one box. Ngiyamuthanda is inspired by house as well as jazz elements”.
What makes MoChikito’s approach unique is their story-telling and use of metaphors layered with chants inspired by African melodies.
“Moeketsi is really good with coming up with songs and melodies it's like he downloads them from somewhere. He's a skilled guitarist with a great ability to compose music. I on the other hand, I fine tune and form the work while Moeketsi comes up with the ideas and melodies – so we feed off each other. We are a team and understand each other musically and know each other’s strengths. I let him do what he does best by way of creating new songs and he lets me focus on singing” says Tebogo.
Tebogo and Moeketsi have been in the music scene for over 8 years. They started out playing in a jazz band called Infinity, then a couple of years later formed New Creation around the time they entered SA’s Got Talent where they reached the finals (2014).
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