A muffin is a pretty hard thing to define. It can be sweet or savoury, a confectionary dessert, a type of bread or a breakfast treat.
It's a perfect metaphor for musical group The Muffinz, whose decision to keep the name they'd initially considered a gimmick is a perfect metaphor for the band.
Despite the playful name, their music has a depth that leaves listeners craving more.
As young people who grew up in South Africa and were facing issues individually, they used music as a vessel to let it all out.
The Muffinz members, Sifiso Buthelezi, Simphiwe Kulla and Keke Mabusela, speak to Drum ahead of their annual tour to interact with their music lovers and perform their much-loved songs from their albums that hardly get played on mainstream radio.
The tours are usually an intimate social gathering that allow their fans to be reintroduced to their classic songs.
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As they are putting together the final touches to their performance at Untitled Basement, they are also excited to be celebrating 10 years of their second album Do What You Love.
Singer and founding member Sifiso 'Atomza' Buthelezi recalls the past 10 years of The Muffinz.
“We were young when we started the group. And because of the subject matter in our music, the type of songs that I write are serious, intense, and deep and I didn’t want the name of the group to be something heavy and that is how we ended up calling ourselves The Muffinz.
“We wanted a name that was light and fun. At some points, we wanted to change the name, but we have already built much, I used to be bored when they referred to me as ‘The Muffinz guy’. I am proud of what we did, my friend.”
He says when they started the group a decade ago, they were intentional about making music that would be enjoyed by generations to come.
Though they are still on the fence about labelling themselves a jazz band, for years they have used words like ‘Liberated Afro Retro’, ‘Eclectic Doul Trip’, or simple live band just to define the type of music they are doing.
“It all started when we figured out that we have some important things to say. I had just finished my communications degree, and I made a choice that I would use my skills to bring forth change and inspire young people. It was only fitting that we did that through music as we were joined by music and even how we met it was organic.”
Not treating their band as a company, they were able to give the band a break so that they could focus on their solo projects. Sifiso says they always knew that they wanted to do this for a long time and that is why in their come-up they entered as many competitions as they could.
They signed deals, learned how the industry and now they oversee their success, and still celebrate milestones they are still reaching to date.
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In April, “our song Umsebenzi WeNdoda reached one million views on YouTube”!
“That is amazing, and that showed us that there is something substantial about the music living forever. It took quite a while, but we are aware of this. It is good to know that our stuff is not stagnant in the streaming platforms, but it is gradually growing.”
