Marlode, born Sifiso Kevin Sibeko, hails from Middleburg, Mpumalanga. Having grown up in a conservative family, the church became an important pillar for his musicianship where he played the trumpet in the church brass band. His journey into music production would begin his gap year after matriculating learning techniques on YouTube and later producing his own Type Beat tracks and uploading on the platform. Also from Middleburg, Owams (Owami Ntuli) takes inspiration from his liberal and creative family. Initially introduced to music by his dad through 2Pac albums and Michael Jackson mostly, this would naturally lead him to the path of pursuing a rap career, which eventually morphed into a broader musical journey, having been a producer for over eight years. The duo began producing for their musician friends which helped them develop a keen ear for melody which would inspire how the pair approach other genres such as Afrobeats. Of their music, the duo adds: “Our music can be classified under Amapiano and/or Dance music. The sound is largely influenced by Afrobeats and R&B Soul for the drums and melodies.” Marlode × Owams have worked with some of South Africa’s emerging talents including Nkosazana Daughter, Mawhoo, TmanXpress and Slade. They also have credits on Dzepa (2woBunnies, Ch’cco), their biggest song to date which is certified Gold and helped catapult them to the industry.