Get to Know OHP Sage, the Young Star Taking Amapiano to the World
Born Omphile Sathekge in the Pretoria township of Soshanguve, destiny christened him OHP Sage for a life under shining lights as a singer-songwriter, performer, and entertainer. From finding fame young while knee-deep in school curriculum to featuring on Uncle Waffles’s hit single “Wadibusa”, the 22-year-old musician has been making steady strides in the amapiano sphere, with the young star harbouring ambitions of global proportions concerning music.
“I grew up in Pretoria, and that’s where my love for music started. I was raised on sounds like Bacardi and a lot of pop. Those are the kinds of music I was exposed to, which also shaped my feelings for music,” he said, speaking of his love for music and how it all began.
OHP Sage | SUPPLIED
The piano muso dropped his latest single “Rikala” last week, featuring Nigerian pop star DK Regan.
“I recorded my part of the song here in South Africa a few months ago, actually. After listening to the song and what I did with it at that point, I felt like it still needed another voice to add more value to it in terms of putting a storyline properly and bringing the whole thing together. I had my manager reach out to DK [Regan], who I felt would be a proper fit when lacing vocals on top of mine,” he said.
In addition to the release of the single, Sathekge revealed that there was more music in the vault, and that expansion was the sole objective behind the dropping of new music.
“There’s going to be more music after ‘Rikala,’ another single and then a project after that. There’s plenty of music on the way since I haven’t dropped my own stuff in a long while, and I’d say that pushing new music is the main thing for me for the rest of the year. I’m also looking to expand my reach and get my sound out to new countries and places where it’s never been before,” he said.
OHP Sage | SUPPLIED
Sage spoke about his dreams of exporting amapiano to remote territories and scaling new heights with the music.
“The impact I want to have with my amapiano is to take it to every corner of the world and for the sound to be truly global and for it to be talked about. Remember how South African hip-hop used to be back in the mid-2010s? I want amapiano to buzz like that and more. I want to see amapiano topping charts everywhere and for the music to be played and accepted in even the toughest of nations out there,” he said.
Speaking about the craft of amapiano, OHP noted the genre’s hedonistic nature and lamented the sound’s superficiality at times. He talked about how partnering with other musicians has helped him switch up his approach to making music and opening up better to give his artistry a greater sense of authenticity.
“One of the things that helps me to do more with my art is collaboration, really. Collaborating with people from all walks of life. I remember this one time I got the chance to work with a producer from Puerto Rico, and we operated because we were doing something for amapiano. For me, being able to do something like that keeps me on my toes, and it helps my creativity stay fresh. To not run out of ideas. Working with different people helps me to stay open with my songwriting. One thing I’ve noticed about us in amapiano is that we normally don’t write about our feelings when we make songs—it’s mainly about having fun and just being about vibes. And that’s something I go against so that people will look to my music and know they can write about their personal joys and struggles,” he said.
OHP Sage | SUPPLIED
Sage shared what his other passions entailed besides the music.
“I’m a person who is mostly into reading. Becoming a reader is something I started getting into a few months back, really. If I’m not doing that, I’m hanging out with my loved ones or my manager, since we are close and are practically best friends. Another thing I dabble in when I’m not doing music is acting and modelling, but I haven’t started anything in those directions formally. I think that things will get serious as time goes,” he said.
Sathekge reflected on the importance of understanding music not only as a talent to be polished but a business that needs to be known, understood, and implemented with purpose to grow and make a living out of being an artist.
“When I came into the industry, my initial belief and understanding of things was that I needed to have the talent for it and nothing else. I had my first viral hit while I was still in high school, but, as the years have gone by since making it into the industry, I’ve learned that I have to know the business side of doing things. I always have people DM’ing me, wanting to operate, but not everyone has the right intentions. So knowing how to deal with things on the business side of things helps. That knowledge helps a lot if you are an artist. The music side will always be there because it’s a gift, after all, and it can’t be taken away from you. But the business side… that’s where you need to do most of the learning,” he said.