When he first gave South Africans a taste of his music, some weren't all that impressed and told him to focus on his acting.
But he wasn't about to let a few detractors stand in the way of fulfilling his dreams.
Isibaya actor Nkanyiso Mzimela has been working on his music and he's just released his first project titled Before Winter on 4 December.
The actor, who plays Melusi the son of taxi owner Mpiyakhe on The River, wants to be known for more than just acting and his EP Before Winter is a reflection of his vision.
Before Winter is a soulful mixture of hip hop and R&B music. The first single is dedicated to news anchor Chante Jantjies, and most of the songs talk about heartbreak and love.
He has publicly proclaimed his crush to news anchor Chante and says he respects the woman that she is.
“Chante and I have been communicating through Wanda (my manager), after I publicly confessed my crush for her. Right now more than anything I respect her and I'm inspired. She's a powerful, strong independent woman. I hope she might show up at my listening session at Shaye Lounge this Friday."
Read more | Isibaya’s Nkanyiso Mzimela to Melusi foes: please don’t hate me too much
The 22-year-old says he has always had dreams of becoming a musician and this project couldn’t have come at a better time.
“Music has been my passion ever since I was little, from Grade 5 I've had a push from within and I was drawn towards it. Acting just worked out before the music but music was always the first love. My EP is titled Before Winter because my legal name is Nkanyiso which means the "bringer of light" meaning my purpose is to shine my light during dark times. Night$ my stage name is a good representation of that, because it's all those nights that are dark and I get to be the star and shine my light,” he tells DRUM.
“Before Winter comes from winter being the darkest and coldest time anyone can go through, this is before I get to shine and reach my peak. So right now with this EP, this is me before I shine my brightest,” he adds.
He is influenced by artists such as Travis Scott and John Legend, but says that won't show up on his EP too much because he brings his own uniqueness and special touch to his musical sound.
“The process of creating this EP was pretty smooth actually, because at first I was buying beats from other producers and I was struggling. But I decided to produce my own. 95% of it is self-produced. So that process was smooth and I enjoyed creating my own sound."
Nkanyiso does not want to be limited to just being an actor, he believes that he has so much to offer the world.
“People need to know that I cannot be boxed in, I cannot be categorized. Don't title my art or try and label me as just an actor or musician because I'm greater than that.”
