From a small village in Venda to national playlists, Mathuga Ipfi, known as Tailor Pain, is emerging as one of the region's most distinctive young voices, using music to carry identity, language and lived experience beyond his community.
At 21, the artist from Hamangilasi positions himself among a new generation of musicians who centre culture and storytelling in their work.
In an interview with Limpopo Mirror, he said his creative direction was shaped by a desire to champion African-rooted music. "I thrived on delivering African-rooted music to the world at large, because while I was growing up, amongst my age group it was only western music that was making the buzz," he said.
He describes music as a way of documenting his reality. "My rationale for making music was to paint my reality and life experiences to the world at large, thus educating and revealing core principles that made me who I am."
His commitment to using Venda as his main storytelling tool has become a defining feature of his sound. "As a proud Venda youth, I took pride in telling my story lyrically in my own language. Also knowing that music in itself knows no language barriers just made my default Venda language the go-to instrument," he said.
The growing impact of his work shows in small but powerful moments: children sing his lyrics, strangers stop him to ask about his songs and he hears his music in unfamiliar towns.
Despite his rising popularity, he deliberately protects his private life. He said too much online presence diluted the joy of creativity.
A key milestone is his collaboration on Ndivhe Nayo with Una Rine and Mizo Phyll, which has generated thousands of TikTok sounds.
At the time of the interview, Tailor Pain was completing an EP with Una Rine and producer Ndamulelo Masia, due for release in January.