By Benjamin Millerman
Raised in Perth, raised with Nigerian roots. Zafty has a special mix of influences that have helped shape the artist we hear today. Seen throughout his music but most visible in the title of his latest EP, Omo Buruku, meaning bad or evil child, Zafty is not shy to put his identity on full display. That exact feature is what makes him stand out. He’s unapologetically himself, explaining his music as “honest. It’s just me trying to figure stuff out out loud.” This honesty comes in whichever method best fits Zafty in the moment. Whether it be Afrobeats, gospel, punk energy, or something completely different, if Zafty feels it properly represents himself, the song will do just that.
Zafty doesn’t try to shove himself into the “popular music” box. He strives to focus on his sound, and that all comes down to him lacking a formula for creation. He lets the music take him on its journey. Zafty has been on this journey for a while, but only dropped his first song in February of 2023. Before that, Zafty would write poems for fun. It was only once a new kid joined his school and was getting all the credit from classmates for being a music artist. Zafty knew he could do better than him, voicing this opinion, but no one took him seriously without any releases. Just like that, Zafty the artist was born.
Returning to Zafty’s influences, both Perth and Nigeria hold different roles in his creative process. Nigeria aids him rhythmically, spiritually, and with his storytelling, leading him down a path with stronger afrobeats roots from a culture that lives and breathes music. Perth, on the other hand, provides him with a place to reflect and find who he is as an artist, and he explores and expands in the scene. Feeling connected to both of these places put Zafty in a place of discovery from a young age, trying to find his place in the world, and he channels this “in-between” feeling into his sound.
Zafty’s music journey is still in its earliest stages, and even to him, there are times when he doesn’t feel like he belongs in the space. He constantly feels the need to prove himself, to show he has what it takes to be one of the main players in the scene. But these doubts fade when he sees people enjoying his music, for him, it “makes all the struggle worth it”.
These struggles Zafty faces aren’t your usual musician issues. Pushing out music with a team of him and two close friends, keeping up on the socials, and posting authentic videos is not easy. When he tries to play the game, he loses the authentic feel that he strives for. Zafty chooses to stay honest and be himself through all his content. On top of the smaller team for marketing, Zafty is also still a student, studying biomed. Having to go to class and study for difficult exams severely limits the time he can put into music, pushing his recording hours into the depths of the night at around 2 am. But Zafty still enjoys every second, “music’s like my therapy and my reason to keep going”.
When Zafty starts creating at 2 am, he pulls inspiration from all different genres, believing that having a wide variety of musical knowledge creates more textured songs. With this abundance of musical inspiration, Zafty freestyles on the beat until he finds something he wants to start or end with, working forwards or backwards depending on what he finds. For Zafty, it flows best when he freestyles, finding it hardest when he tries to mould words into a song he thought of before.
Once the song is created to Zaftys’ liking and is uploaded, the most rewarding part is performing it live. The atmosphere is completely different as Zafty can feel the energy of the room as the crowd sings back the words that he freestyled on a 2 am beat. When you enter a Zafty concert, you enter a new world, the world of Zafty. This new experience is something Zafty wants to continue to cultivate, making shows people won’t forget. That is his main goal: a place where people can feel free to be themselves, inspiring kids who feel lost just like he did.
Zafty is for the people. He wants people to be able to express themselves and figure things out through his music. Zafty is here so people don’t feel alone, so they know that someone understands what they are going through. Zafty will continue to spread his message through his next EP, ORUN, which will be a love letter to someone he hasn’t met yet but has fallen deeply in love with. His music and influence will continue to improve and expand, and you will want to be along for the ride as he continues to push musical boundaries, from Nigeria to Perth, Zafty is next up.