Resilience and patience mark the journey of upcoming artist Anica Kiana

Marked by learning curves, strength and passion, emerging Capetonian pop artist Anica Kiana is carving out her place in South Africa’s slowly growing pop scene.

From performing cover songs to becoming a musician signed to the label run by the Locnville brothers in 2021, Kiana’s growth in the music industry reflects her persistence in pursuing her dreams and building an audience.

Kiana said that although it has taken time to get to where she wants to be, she feels she is steadily making a name for herself.

“Back in the day, I didn’t believe in myself as much as I do now, especially because it has taken so many years to get to a place where I want to be in the industry.”

“I’m slowly but surely getting there and reaching my dreams. The journey has made me more patient, both as an artist and as a person.”

Her journey unfolds in a local music landscape largely dominated by dance genres such as Amapiano, which has amassed billions of streams and gained global recognition.

Breaking through with other sounds can therefore be challenging. With more than 500,000 Spotify streams under her belt. Kiana admits that gaining traction as a pop artist in South Africa has not been easy, but she believes she has found a supportive audience.

“It’s been very difficult, to be honest, because my genre isn’t really the top genre in South Africa,” she said.

“But I definitely feel like I’ve found a group of people, a little community that enjoys this kind of music.”

Despite the challenges, Kiana has achieved several milestones. Her music has charted on radio stations including Kfm 94.5 and 5FM, and she has collaborated with artists such as Nasty C and the Locnville duo.

She said these collaborations helped her navigate different creative phases while discovering her own sound.

“At one stage I wanted to be more of an R&B artist, which is why I did collaborations with artists like Nasty C and Big Hash.”

“But I realised that wasn’t really me. Now I feel like I’m finding my sound.”

Kiana said working with more established artists also helped her understand the importance of artistic identity.

“When I collaborated with them, they were already at a stage where they had their voice as artists, while I was still finding mine.”

Her work has also earned recognition from platforms such as the Basadi in Music Awards.

For Kiana, success is not only defined by major career milestones but also by appreciating smaller achievements along the way.

“I’m realising that it’s important to set small goals,” she says.

“When you focus on achieving those small things, you eventually work your way up to the bigger dream. Success is also about being loved and having a community around you. That’s the greatest success.”