South African Amapiano producer and DJ Ntokzin has opened one of the most personal chapters of his career with the release of his new EP, Nhlanhla, a project dedicated to his late sister.
The hitmaker had a chat with TheJournalistDJ.com during an intimate listening session at The Bannister Hotel in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, where he spoke about the loss behind the project, the year-long process of creating it, his collaborators and even the story behind his transition from DJ Stars to the name Ntokzin.
Nhlanhla officially arrives on digital streaming platforms on 28 August 2026.
Nhlanhla Is Named After His Late Sister
For Ntokzin, this isn’t simply another addition to his catalogue.
The producer revealed that he named the project after his late sister as a way of honouring her life and memory.
“This project is dedicated to my sister. I’ve named it after her. She’s my late sister, by the way, to honour her life and everything about her,”
Ntokzin told TheJournalistDJ.com.
The timing of the release is also significant. Ntokzin deliberately chose Women’s Month to share the project, adding another layer of meaning to the tribute.
According to his team, the EP represents remembrance, celebration and healing while remaining firmly connected to the soulful, melodic Amapiano sound that has defined much of Ntokzin’s career.
A Project That Took A Year To Complete
The emotional weight of Nhlanhla also shaped how the project came together.
Speaking about the creative process, Ntokzin revealed that it took approximately a year to complete the body of work, a period that coincided with the first year since his sister’s passing.
“It took me a year,”
he explained during the interview, reflecting on the process of putting everything together following her death.
That journey makes Nhlanhla particularly significant in Ntokzin’s catalogue. While listeners will encounter the dancefloor energy expected from one of Amapiano’s established producers, behind those grooves sits a deeply personal story.
“My Heart Is Relieved”
That emotion was evident at the Johannesburg listening session.
With guests moving through the venue and supporters gathering to hear the project ahead of its official release, Ntokzin described himself as both excited and relieved to have finally reached this moment.
“I’m actually excited. My heart is relieved,”
he told TheJournalistDJ.com.
He admitted that bringing everything together had been a “hustle”, but said seeing the project completed and people responding positively had brought him a sense of relief.
For an artist who has spent years producing music designed to move crowds, Nhlanhla therefore represents something different: music becoming a vehicle through which he could process loss while celebrating someone important to him.
A Star-Studded Amapiano Family Comes Together
Ntokzin didn’t make the journey alone.
Nhlanhla brings together an extensive list of collaborators spanning different corners of contemporary Amapiano and Afro-house, including Thukuthela, Njelic, Zee Nxumalo, Mkeyz, Miikey Ndlovu, Ciniso, Q Bonke, Josiah De Disciple, De Mthuda, Sino Msolo, Da Muziqal Chef and Zar Keys.
Despite the number of personalities involved, Ntokzin said there was a shared purpose when everyone entered the studio.
“Everyone was amazing in studio. Everyone wanted the same thing as I did,” he said.
“The energy was so great. I’m excited about everything.”
The collaborative cast is also reflective of Ntokzin’s own journey through Amapiano, particularly his long-standing musical relationship with De Mthuda and his ability to move between soulful, melodic and dancefloor-focused interpretations of the genre.
Before Ntokzin, There Was DJ Stars
Away from the emotional story behind the EP, Ntokzin also gave TheJournalistDJ.com a glimpse into his life before becoming the producer audiences know today.
Long before the name Ntokzin became associated with Amapiano, he performed under the name DJ Stars.
And surprisingly, “Stars” had nothing to do with music.
Ntokzin revealed that the nickname stretches back roughly 15 years and came from his great-grandmother during his days playing football.
“My great-grandma used to call me Stars because I was playing soccer,” he recalled.
Eventually, he felt Stars had become too common and began gravitating towards Ntokzo or Ntokzin, ultimately establishing the identity under which he would build his professional music career.
Music Ended His Football Dreams
Ntokzin could, however, have followed a very different path.
Asked what happened to his football ambitions, his answer was simple: music took over.
“I had to focus on music more. I think that’s the hobby I enjoyed the most,” he explained.
What began as an interest gradually became more serious as he became fascinated by music-making software and the complete production process.
Eventually, the hobby became a profession.
It’s an interesting glimpse into the producer behind the records. Before the collaborations, releases and Amapiano success, there was simply a young football player discovering that he enjoyed creating music even more than being on the pitch.
Turning Pain Into Something People Can Dance To
Nhlanhla ultimately brings those different parts of Ntokzin’s journey together.
It is a tribute to his sister, but he doesn’t want the project to exist only in sadness. In a statement accompanying the release, Ntokzin described making the EP as both emotional and exciting, saying he wanted to honour Nhlanhla’s memory while creating music capable of bringing people together.
And despite the deeply personal circumstances that inspired it, Ntokzin still has the dancefloor in mind.
His promise is that the project will keep South Africans dancing into the upcoming festive season.
That duality may ultimately be what defines Nhlanhla: a project born from grief but created to celebrate life.
Nhlanhla by Ntokzin is available on all major digital streaming platforms from 28 August 2026.
Pre-save / stream Ntokzin’s Nhlanhla
