SA’s Next Black Coffee: Thabo Da.Po, The Fifteen-Year-Old Music Prodigy
Fifteen-year-old South African producer and DJ Thabo Da.Po has released his debut single “SUMAH”, which has already garnered radio play in South Africa and the UK. The young music prodigy also released his music video for “SUMAH” on YouTube. The song has captured young audiences across social media and local high schools through dance and rhythm.
At such a young age, Thabo Da.Po has acquired four instruments under his belt- piano, bass guitar, violin and trumpet – the most valuable of them all are his hands and ears. At school he is in various musical bands as he can play several music instruments. He plays the piano, violin, bass guitar, trumpet and marimba. Whilst striving for first team in high school basketball team, aiming for the best grades possible and attaining his music colours at school, he displays the ability to remain focused in all that he does, yet ensuring to maintain a balanced life.
His latest songs can be found on Spotify and iTunes with his smashing radio hit single SUMAH meaning “glorious”, which is a symphonic remix of an old South African church hymn ‘Ndikhokele Bawo’. The music video is a compilation of dance choreography with Pretoria’s top dance school – EMS School of Dance choreographed by world renowned dance teacher, Eunice Marais. The dance school will be collaborating with Thabo Da.Po on other upcoming musical pieces through ballet, contemporary dance, hip-hop, pantsula and amapiano dance moves.
Thabo Da.Po has a unique ability to produce beats and sounds many of our ears haven’t experienced. From teaching himself how to play John Legend on the piano by himself at age seven, to then growing up making music in his room on the weekends, to DJ’ing for his family and friends during the holiday, music has become an innate part of his everyday life. His art is a from of expression ranging from tranquil, calm beats to up-tempo, house and techno sounds. He hasn’t been able to quite pin-point his sound, but he is almost certain there is a song for every generation. It is no doubt that he is South Africa’s next Black Coffee and Zakes Bantwini.