10 Hours, 8 Tracks, 1 Lifetime: Apiwe Bubu's 20-year journey to his debut album

Mail & Guardian

2 days ago

Frame of mind: Apiwe Bubu, who hails from the Eastern Cape, and now has his own studio in Los Angeles, came back to his home country to record his debut album. Photo: Ofentse Moatshe
On Thursday, 31 July, Apiwe Bubu dropped his debut solo album Reflections of a Sound Mind — an eight-track collection of piano compositions that has been two decades in the making.
It was a long road that saw Bubu travelling to Boston, Valencia and Los Angeles before coming home to record and release his first album at the age of 41.
Born in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, Apiwe is the second of five children. His early years were spent in his birthplace before he moved to Johannesburg at the age of 12 for boarding school. It was there, amid the piano rooms tucked into every quad, that he first started 'twiddling' with the keys and discovered a passion for music.
He moved to Pretoria to complete his final two years of high school.
Upon matriculating, Bubu found himself unsure of what his next steps should be. He initially embarked on a path that would sound reassuring to his parents, briefly studying aeronautical engineering at Wits.
'I was, like, 'No, this is too much,'' he recalls, realising halfway through his first year it wasn't the right fit.
After taking the rest of that year and the following one off, during which he worked at a branch of Roman's Pizza, serving slices while pondering his future, music emerged as the clear direction.
To appease his parents and ensure they would take his career choice seriously, he framed it strategically.
'Let me not present it as music. Let me present it as sound engineering,' he recounts. 'The engineering is still going to make them feel like, 'Oh, there's a job behind this.' They can still say their son is an engineer.'
Bubu enrolled at In-House in Randburg, Johannesburg, where he earned a certificate in sound engineering a year later.
This qualification quickly opened doors. At 21, he landed a job at Urban Brew, a prominent post-production house for TV shows. Here, he wasn't just an engineer — his piano skills caught the attention of his interviewer, leading to opportunities to compose music for daytime TV.
This period offered him invaluable insight into the mechanics of the music industry, from composition to royalty statements and the workings of the Southern African Music Rights Organisation. He learned extensively from lead composer Abe Sibiya, observing his ability to translate ideas into complex musical arrangements with apparent ease.
'I was trying to figure it out,' Bubu says, describing his fascination with Sibiya's talent. 'Just, like, how does that happen?'
His journey then took him to SonoVision Studios, where he delved into audio work for radio ads. While the job was comfortable and highly sought after within the industry, Bubu harboured a growing desire to deepen his musical understanding.
It was at Urban Brew that a significant seed was planted. The owner of Urban Rhythm Factory, an associated post-production team, who had graduated from Berklee College of Music in the US in 1974, suggested Bubu further his studies.
'I looked it up and saw the people who'd been there: Quincy Jones, John Mayer,' Bubu remembers, recognising the school's prestige.
However, the cost — $50 000 a year for tuition alone, not including living expenses — made it seem 'pie in the sky'. Despite the daunting financial hurdle and his stable job at SonoVision, Bubu made a courageous decision. He left his position to focus entirely on auditioning for a scholarship to Berklee.
What followed was a gruelling four-year audition process. Each year, Berklee would visit one African country, requiring aspiring students to travel for their auditions.
His first attempt was in Mozambique, in 2008, followed by Durban in 2009, Kenya in 2010, and, finally, Cape Town in 2011. During these four years, Bubu dedicated himself to refining his craft, studying weekly under jazz maestro Andile Yenana, who he considers a mentor.
The breakthrough came in 2011, during the Cape Town International Jazz Festival.
'Yo, that was amazing!' Bubu exclaims, recalling the moment he received the acceptance email days after his audition. He was bouncing between stages at the festival when he finally gathered the courage to open the message. 'Boom! It said what it said and I was at the jazz festival. And I was, like, 'Wow, jeez. Let's celebrate!'
The scholarship covered 75% of his tuition, with the remaining amount being secured through an annual international bursary scholarship from the National Arts Council.
In 2012, Bubu finally arrived in Boston to begin his studies at Berklee. What was supposed to be a five-year programme was condensed into a brutal four years as he pursued a double major in music production and engineering and contemporary writing and production.
'If I thought the first four years of me trying to get in was brutal, then the next four years were even more brutal,' he admits.
He was immersed in studio work for production and engineering, while simultaneously honing his compositional techniques, culminating in his final writing exam — an orchestral score he conducted and recorded.
His final semester in 2015 provided a much-needed respite. After three intense years in Boston, Bubu opted to complete his liberal arts electives at Berklee's campus in Valencia, Spain. This period of relaxation allowed him to recalibrate before the next chapter of his career.
Towards the end of 2015, while still at Berklee, Bubu secured an internship with Mirrorball Entertainment, the umbrella production and studio company of renowned mixer and producer Tony Maserati, known for his work with Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Robin Thicke.
This came through a recommendation from Carl Beatty, the chief of staff at Berklee and an old friend of Maserati's. Impressed with Bubu's work, Maserati offered him a permanent position upon graduation.
Beginning in early 2016, Bubu found himself immersed in high-profile projects, including Beyoncé's Lemonade album.
'It was crazy,' he recounts, recalling the secrecy surrounding the project. He contributed to the mix engineering of the tracks 6 Inch, Sandcastles and All Night, his personal favourite from the album.
He recalls a 'baptism of fire' moment when he mistakenly adjusted a setting on Beyoncé's vocals during a mixing session, earning a swift rebuke from Maserati.
'How am I the guy who messes up a Beyoncé song?' he remembers.
While he never met Beyoncé in the studio, he witnessed industry giants like Diplo come through. In addition to Lemonade, he made contributions to albums like Keith Urban's Ripcord and Gallant's Ology, which all earned Grammy recognition.
Though he valued his time at Mirrorball, Bubu felt a pull towards the creative side of music: 'Engineering is technical stuff … I want to create more,' he explains.
He began freelancing with other producers in LA, delving deeper into the production of hip-hop and R&B. In 2019, he established his own space in North Hollywood, Global Sound Studio LA, where he now handles his own clientele, production and mixing.
Through his studio, Bubu has collaborated with a diverse range of artists, including trap producers like 808 Mafia, Flipp Dinero and pop artist Bridgit Mendler.
He has also founded his own record label We Want More. Through it, he focuses on discovering and developing emerging artists, such as Disney star Dior Goodjohn.
Despite his extensive work with other artists and his growing empire, Bubu's own debut album was a long time coming. 'You know when you just never know when it's time,' he muses, explaining his diverse influences and ongoing refinement of his piano technique.
The compositions on Reflections of a Sound Mind have been simmering for years, performed occasionally but never formally recorded until now.
The catalyst for the album came during a recent visit home to Joburg. Producer and long-time friend Ofentse Moatshe, known as JT, knew of Bubu's unrecorded material and pushed him to commit. JT went as far as to purchase a piano for the project and install it in his studio.
'One day he's, like, 'Let's talk about the album.' Then, when I get there, he's like, 'Ah, yeah, let's test it out now. Let's just see if we can get a good sound from this.'
'So, from testing it out and then saying to me, 'Okay, we're recording now.' I'm, like, 'What do you mean?' He's, like, 'Yeah, we're starting now.' All of a sudden, eight hours later, we've got the album.'
The entire eight-track album was recorded in a single, focused session, a testament to Bubu's preparation and JT's persuasive determination.
Apiwe Bubu's personal odyssey finds resonance in his family name. He discovered that 'Bubu' traces back to ancient Egypt, meaning 'bringer of light'. This perfectly encapsulates his 'hero's journey': travelling the world, immersing himself in the global music industry, learning from masters and defying traditional career paths, only to return home to record and release his inaugural collection of work.
Reflections of a Sound Mind is the illuminating culmination of a life dedicated to sound, a light finally shining brightly.