WizTheMc is an artist shaped by three continents and one instinct: to create “borderless music” rooted in emotion, curiosity, and self-reflection. Born in Cape Town, raised in Germany, and now based in Berlin, he blends everything from indie-rap to Afrobeats into a sound that feels both global and deeply personal. With his new project “YEBO,” he steps further into the artist he’s becoming, one who says ‘yes’ to evolution in every form.

For people who might be meeting you for the first time, how do you introduce yourself? Both as Sanele, the person, and as WizTheMc, the artist who’s built a lane of “borderless music?”

I’m a 26 year old dreamer and singer born in Cape Town and raised in Lüneburg. I make music mostly about love, romance and self reflection. I don’t think much in genres so you can find anything in my catalog from indie-rap to afro-beats songs. I feel like Sanele is always the source of anything that Wiz creates, they are so intertwined I sometimes have to ask myself if Sanele or Wiz wants something haha.

You’ve lived across continents, South Africa, Germany, and now Toronto, and your sound carries pieces of each place. When did music stop being just a part of your environment and become something central to your life? Was there a moment where you realized, “I have to do this?”

I began making music when I was about 15 after being really inspired by some of the guys I was making music videos for at the time. Then when I moved to Toronto, I started freestyling, uploading YouTube videos and doing a ton of open mics, it was around that time I really started to pursue music seriously. That’s when WizTheMc was really born and I decided I had to be an artist and it felt like music was choosing me too. Since then, music has been central to my life and career and has traveled the globe with me!

Who or what is influencing the direction of your sound and creativity today?

The inspiration really comes from everywhere – there’s a spontaneity to what I’m drawn to and where the creativity comes from. It could be people I meet while traveling, when I get nostalgic feelings from growing up, or other artists, from German artists like Falco to artists like Omah Lay who are doing really cool stuff right now. 

Your album, YEBO, is a major milestone in your music career. What does this project mean to you? Were there specific stories, emotions, or phases of your life that you wanted to preserve in these songs?

YEBO for me is deeply personal. It’s an expression of who and where I’ve been this year and who I wanna be. The title YEBO has a strong meaning for me – it means yes in Zulu (South African language) and brings this energy of saying yes to life, a new experience, that date, or saying yes to your dreams. I wanted to capture that energy and the feeling I have of December in Cape Town. 

When you start creating, what’s usually the spark? A line, a feeling, a rhythm, or something else entirely? And how do you know when a track has become the version that’s finished?

My music is usually created from a feeling. It’s like trying to put into lyrics and a sound where my head is at that moment I’m writing. My producers and I usually work pretty quickly, and as soon as we feel like we’ve captured something real, we know it’s there. I think you can overcomplicate things and then lose the original feeling. 

Has your most recent album changed your relationship with making music? Do you feel a sense of completion, or has it opened up new questions and creative directions you’re excited to chase?

It’s never complete, haha! I’m always getting in sessions and making music. I’m so excited for the next five years. I experiment with my music all the time and find new sounds, letting everything inspire me, so I’ve definitely got a lot of new creative avenues I’m constantly exploring. Which is what YEBO is really about, letting go and saying yes to new things.  

What have been the most meaningful forms of support or partnership in your journey so far, whether from friends, producers, mentors, or even your fans, and how have those relationships shaped the artist you’re becoming?

My music is hugely shaped by connection and community. I really needed all those relationships to have created everything that happened this year. Working with my producers and bouncing off them creatively led to the whole EP creation. The fans who really connected with my music and shared “Show Me Love” all across TikTok allowed my music to connect to even more people. And my close circle who has kept me grounded through all of this and reminded me why it’s all worth it. They were all pivotal to where I am now. 

Your music has evolved across countries, sounds, and phases of your life. As you look ahead, what’s pulling you forward creatively? Are there new genres, stories, or worlds you’re curious to explore as you imagine the next chapter of WizTheMc?

Just seeing how much I’ve been able to connect with so many people around the world and being able to share my journey with those people keeps pushing me forward. I want to keep evolving as an artist and person. I’m keeping myself open to new inspirations, opportunities, places, experiences, energies, all of it, which will for sure inspire me and my music. There’s so much in this world I haven’t tapped into yet.

This story first ran in NYOTA’s Music issue. Read more from the issue here and purchase a print copy here.