Internet Athi features on The Home of Sound Festival 29 March The Outlore Base

Kopton Music Presents: The Home of Sound Festival 29 March, The Outlore Base, Cape Town

On 29 March, something more than a music festival will unfold in Cape Town. At The Outlore Base, Kopton Music will host The Home of Sound Festival — a gathering designed not just to entertain, but to celebrate the pulse of South Africa’s next generation of musical storytellers.

The idea behind Home of Sound is simple but powerful: music should feel like home. 

A place where stories are shared, voices are heard, and artists stand firmly in their truth. The festival brings together emerging and established artists who are shaping the future of South African sound  artists who are not chasing noise, but creating work with meaning.

Among them is Cape Town’s own Internet Athi.

Internet Athi has quietly built a reputation as one of the city’s most emotionally resonant voices.

 An independent singer-songwriter with a soulful blend of contemporary R&B, African influences and live instrumentation, his music sits comfortably between vulnerability and groove.

 With more than 57,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and a growing global audience, his songs have become intimate soundtracks for listeners navigating love, memory and growth.

But for Athi, the purpose has never been fame.

“I make music that feels like home,” he says. “I want to document love, memory and growth in real time — and build something that outlives me.”

For him, music is more than sound. It is language when language fails. It is prayer. Therapy. Celebration. A way to process life and share it honestly with others.

That honesty runs through songs like “Wena,” “Nguwe,” and “Undithembisile,” which have become staples of his live performances. “Wena,” in particular, has taken on a life of its own.

“It’s the heartbeat of my live set,” he says. “The audience always meets me there.”

Athi’s creative inspiration often leads him back home  to childhood memories, long conversations with his parents, quiet drives and moments of silence where ideas begin to form. From there, songs start as simple voice notes before eventually growing into full band arrangements.

“The most beautiful moment is that first rehearsal,” he explains. “When the song finally breathes.”

Despite his growing recognition, Athi remains deeply grounded in his values. His heroes are his parents and the generation of Black South African musicians who built lasting careers without shortcuts  artists who chose longevity over hype.

That philosophy shapes his approach to success.

“Fame should be about impact, not noise,” he says. “If the music reaches hearts, that’s enough.”

On stage, Athi performs with intention. Often with his eyes closed at first, feeling the music deeply before reconnecting with the room. His shows feel less like performances and more like shared emotional spaces  the kind where audiences sing every word back.

Of course, not every moment is perfectly polished.

“I once forgot a lyric in my own song,” he laughs. “I confidently sang absolute nonsense. The band followed me like professionals. We have never spoken about it again.”

Behind the calm stage presence is a deeply reflective artist  intentional, gentle and visionary by his own description. Someone who believes that the magic of life lies in trying, even when the outcome is uncertain.

“Khawuphinde uzame nanamhlanje,” he says. “Try again today. No one really knows what life is about. The magic is in the trying.”

Looking ahead, Athi dreams of touring Africa with a full band and one day performing a theatre show backed by an orchestra. But for now, he remains focused on building his project independently  something he describes as his proudest achievement.

“It’s self-funded, self-built and still growing,” he says.

At The Home of Sound Festival, audiences will experience that journey in real time  an artist sharing his work exactly as it is meant to be heard: live, honest and deeply human.

Because if Athi’s music teaches anything, it’s this: the most powerful songs are often the ones that feel like they were written just for you.

And on 29 March in Cape Town, those songs will find a home.

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Follow Internet Athi

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNb78W5Cg8_NPR6gSsEp7fA

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/internetathi/