[1] He shot to limelight upon the release of his critically acclaimed song titled "Nomvula" off his triple-platinum debut studio album Buyelekhaya.
[3][4] Nkosinathi Mankayi was born among five siblings to a single mother in Mthatha, a small town in Eastern Cape, South Africa.
[5] He grew up in Maclear, Eastern Cape, South Africa where he was educated and developed an interest in music and drawing.
[5][9] Nathi started recording his debut studio album titled Buyelekhaya in late 2014, releasing "Nomvula" as its lead single in 2015.
Upon the release of the song, it became an instant hit, winning the "Best Selling Full-Track Download" at the 22nd South African Music Awards.