Artist development coach Ngqabutho Mpofu wants to help new musicians develop their sound and get their tracks heard.
Quickly growing frustrated by the industry as he first attempted to navigate it, Ngqabutho – known professionally as Kyū, The Producer – decided to do something to make sure others don’t have to make the same mistakes.
Kyū began his company, LNTC Group, to mentor Pop and Modern RnB artists to help them turn their passion and talent into a recognised brand that can generate a livable income. He wants to make sure their following can hear their songs, which he collaborates with and produces.
“I was frustrated with the music industry and seeing talented artists giving up because they didn’t have the tools to navigate the space, so I created LNTC Group to help aspiring artists,” Kyū said.
“I wanted to develop artists to understand how to leverage their independence through releasing radio-ready hit songs, building a fanbase and becoming an affluent artist, knowledgeable enough to navigate building a career with or without a record label.”
The business name, LNTC Group, is an acronym for “Life Narrated Through Creativity”, a mantra he wants others to repeat so they know they can build a life by chasing their dreams to create music.
He started out working on his own music with a group of collaborators he affectionately refers to as a brotherhood. The group of friends would write, produce and perform together, building upon their individual skills and giving each other a safe space to try new things. It led them to collaborate with writers and producers in the US, including Kyle Christopher and Chrishan, and later allowed them to pitch their demos to artists such as Chris Brown and Mario.
That environment is one the artist development coach wants to foster with his students to have the same opportunities eventually. He also wants to provide the support he wished he had had in the early days, by being there at shows and rehearsals and assisting with PR campaigns and photoshoots.
Kyū, The Producer’s unconventional approach to artist development has been proven successful. He has achieved number 1’s and top 10 singles in some independent charts and has managed to push Pop and Rnb artist Jorday over 1 million streams threshold on streaming platform Spotify.
But, Kyū doesn’t want them to be cheated over by unethical players or gatekeepers in the industry. After performing on stage alongside some of the UK’s biggest stars, including Tinie Tempah, N-Dubz and Kid British, the producer moved into songwriting for other artists. Two of his songs were picked up for major artists, but he never received the royalties that he was entitled to, nor did he have any means to chase the money.
“The wealth of knowledge gained over the years was working and worth passing on, so the artists I worked with wouldn’t have to ‘learn the hard way’,” Kyū said.
“I want to help to empower artists across the world and renew their mindset in believing that record deals are the only way to massive success.”
Kyū’s musical journey began from a young age in Zimbabwe with an obsession with Michael Jackson. His family moved to London in 2001, where he honed his musical talents which led to his finishing school and completing a Music Technology degree.
Kyū The Producer works across Manchester, Birmingham, Los Angeles, Florida, Germany, South Africa, Johannesburg, Toronto and Nashville out of his London base.
Over the next five years, he is looking to grow into a full-service Artist Development Agency, housing a record label, music publishing, commercial production and a marketing agency.
In 2019, he was recognised as one of the UK’s best producers, coming runner up for the British Songwriter and Producer of the year. He had previously received “The Prince Trust Young Person’s Award, ” which gave him the capital to start his company in June 2014.
