InDuna: Inspiring Youth Leadership Story
InDuna is a South African self-taught artist and music producer inspiring rangatahi across New Zealand. His Afropop infused soul sounds are influenced by the beats and stories of his homeland as well as his music idols Brenda Fassie and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
InDuna produces a range of music genres including Hip-Hop, R&B and Pop. As a kid being exposed to different genres of music and being part of a choir, he has been able to incorporate his experiences into any genre that he experiments with. His roots allow him to blend his vocals and sounds from Africa to bring a unique vibe and narrative to his music and capture the essence of him as an artist.
Finding Crescendo
InDuna found Crescendo after moving to New Zealand in his mid-teens. His time at Crescendo has had a major impact on his life. Here’s how he describes it in his own words.
“We express our gratitude to Crescendo for their unwavering support. With their help, I’ve not only been able to broaden my network since relocating to Auckland, but I’ve also experienced growth as a musician.”
Thriving Despite Adversity
The adversity and challenges of growing up in a third world country have had a significant impact on InDuna and his music. Spending much of his early years growing up in the slums of Johannesburg and Limpopo he had a rough childhood. After some time living in an orphanage at the age of eight, he jumped at the opportunity to move to New Zealand at age fourteen.
The Role of Music In Life & Recovery
InDuna started his music journey when he fell in love with music for the first time after hearing Brenda Fassie’s Nomakanjani. “It felt like love at first sight, but with music.”
However, he only took an interest in producing his own music after leaving Secondary School. Creating and producing his music has served as an effective therapy for him. Music enables InDuna to express his emotions and to help cope with his past and present experiences.
“The reason I started doing music was because I needed a way to handle my emotions and regular therapy wasn’t doing it for me.”
The Impact of Crescendo Mentors
Lead mentor Dave Atai, has helped InDuna build local connections, refine his music production skills and seize new opportunities.
“The mentorship from David has pushed me to think beyond the norm and recognize new opportunities, while also learning the importance of discernment.”
InDuna Is a Youth Leader and Influencer
InDuna is inspiring other rangatahi and demonstrating leadership in his own life by sharing his personal story of overcoming a rough start and embracing his origins. InDuna’s single “Save Me” off his self-produced EP “Dreams of an Underdog” has racked up 58,000 views across YouTube and Facebook. “Black Man Running” reached number 1 on the RadioActive Top 11 Chart, 3rd on the SRN Top 10 Chart, 3rd on the iTunes NZ Hip-Hop Chart and 17th on the RadioScope Alternative Airplay Chart.
InDuna is fast becoming a change-maker and is showing other rangatahi that they can achieve success. For example, at his young age he has already performed at The Performance Arcade 2022, Newtown Festival 2020, Sofa Wellington and Going Local 2019 along with other smaller gigs around Wellington.
You can listen to his music here.
Inspirational Message To Other Rangatahi
InDuna inspires other youth to take the opportunities presented or seek them out. It’s this determination borne from hardship and hard work that has helped him to secure funding from the He Kākano Seed Fund to make his music dreams come true.
The He Kanano Seed Fund is a new funding opportunity available to aspiring entrepreneurs, first you have to complete the Enterprise Program offered by the Prince’s Trust. This program provides valuable skills and insights to help you succeed in your endeavors.
To learn more about this visit the Princes Trust or Enterprise Program pages.
You can also check out this video about the programme for more information.
Induna had this to say to youth struggling and wanting to inspire other rangatahi through music.
“I most definitely encourage you to take a closer look at the Enterprise Program and see if it aligns with your goals…. Stay tuned for my latest musical endeavors by following me on social media or streaming my music on platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and more. Thank you again for your continued support.”
If you’re interested in starting your music journey with Crescendo, check out Te Urunga programme and enrol here!
