Furo 4404

South African-born, New Zealand-raised artist Furo 4404 has already performed in front of crowds of more than 20,000 people, sold out shows across Auckland and built a sound that draws from hip-hop, Afrobeats, house and pop. With Zimbabwean roots and a childhood split between South Africa and New Zealand, his experiences across different cultures have played a major role in shaping both his perspective and his music. Now, as he prepares to release his debut 13-track album Big 40 Not The Little One, Furo 4404 is using the project to introduce himself more fully, bringing together the experiences, emotions and sounds that have shaped him so far. I caught up with him to talk about his journey into music, the story behind his name, collaborating with Imani-J, and what listeners can expect from the album.

When did you first start making music, and what made you wanna pursue it?

I first started making music when I was 11-12, I used to upload YouTube videos where I would record myself and blast music on the speaker and just freestyle over it. It was dumb, and my parents found it on YouTube, because I was obviously still just a kid, and they would be like, "Take it down now." And then my cousins and my uncle had this little studio at their house and I would always be asking if I could come over, "Oh, can I come and, like, record?" That was when I was 14, 15, 16. 

Ever since then I've really been working on understanding myself and my sound and what type of artist I am, and what resonates with me, what doesn't, the stuff I like, the stuff I don't like. And then I really properly started doing it about two years ago. That's when I was really serious, like, "Okay, this is what I'm doing," you know?

So how'd you come up with your artist name? What do the numbers mean?

So back when lockdown happened everyone was on this app called Houseparty, and everyone was hanging. During lockdown everybody just did anything. My friend started posting Fortnite edits on Youtube, and he came up with the name Takeo. He basically just went on Google Translate and translated his name into Japanese. And I was like, "Oh, that sounds cool." 

So I went and made my own name, and I translated the word flow, because whenever I listen to music I just always perceive it as flows and melodies. I’m not the most lyrical person, but I really find myself thinking about flows and melodies. So that’s where the name Furo came in. I translated flow into Japanese. I thought it sounded cool, and I thought just calling myself “flow” would be a bit lame and corny. 

And then with the numbers, well, the first song I released with my cousin he told me "Say something catchy. Like, just say something really catchy or something like a tongue twister." So I said “40 4 40 4 in a 4 44” or something like that. Something dumb. But ever since then the number four has just been my favourite number. And I think having the numbers in my name really makes it distinct from other artists when you search it up.

How would you describe your sound to someone who's never heard your music before?

I don't even know how to describe my sound to myself. If I were to describe my sound, I would say melodic, a melodic fusion of hip hop, Afro, and house, and then a little elements of pop. It's a fusion of different genres, to be honest, but a melodic fusion.

So someone listening to you for the first time, what song should they start with?

What song should they start with? I would say Gordan. Everyone loves Gordan. I haven't met somebody that doesn't like Gordan. 

What's your songwriting process like?

My songwriting process really depends on the environment I'm in, so sometimes there'll be situations where I find myself writing because I'm just in a specific type of mood, and I just write on my phone in my notes app. Or maybe if I'm working with a producer, if I get sent a beat, I'll play the beat. And like I was saying, I perceive music through flows and melodies, so I'm able to come up with what I say and write based off of the melody and flows that come to my head.

Sometimes it can just be something random. Like Gordan, for instance, I used to work at Carl's Jr, and I was flipping patties. I was on the grill flipping patties, and randomly a melody came into my head, something like, "Ne-na-na, oh-na, oh-na, oh-na." And I started thinking like, "I'm Gordon Ramsay, like flipping patties right now," and then it came to me and I started writing lyrics just then and there. So it happens spontaneously sometimes. But normally I'll be in the studio, listen to a beat, and I go with the beat.

Are there any particular artists that have influenced you a lot with your music?

Yeah, definitely. I would say my favourite artists of all time are Michael Jackson, Octavian, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, and Tory Lanez. 

I really just resonate with those type of artists because their melodies are just so different. You know when you listen to a song and you're like, "Bro, like how do you even come up with this?" Yeah. Especially with Michael, like his voice is just different.

The way he's able to just deliver music like that. Same with Octavian and A Boogie. And Tory Lanez is just so versatile. Like, he can do anything. He's good at singing, he's good at rapping, he's good at pop. Even '80s. He makes '80s sounds. Like, that's crazy. I really look up to him as well.

So you're only 19, but you've already played before some pretty huge crowds. Does it feel like things have moved pretty quickly for you?

I always forget that I'm only 19, even though I only graduated in 2024. I feel like when you're going through high school and stuff, everything is so subtle. Like, everything is just so normal to you. But then I would get told "Okay, you can perform at this show coming up!” and I would just be in class thinking “damn, I really have to, like, perform in front of that many people.” I think the biggest performance was the Africa Day Festival and there was about 20,000-plus people there. That was huge. And I think going through that, it definitely does feel like its all moved fast.

I kinda like the fast movement. I like the fast pace, because I feel like I don't have much time either. I feel like I can get really old really quick, you know? Like, one second it was the 1st of Jan and now we're here in August.

What was it like playing some of those bigger shows and realising there were people in the crowd who already knew your music?

It was buzzy. And even when they don't know the songs, I feel like the power of music is very powerful. If it's catchy or if they just find it appealing, they just sing along or they'll be more interactive with you, and they’ll admire you. They care, you know what I mean? Yeah. And a lot of the times when it comes to making music, I don't know if it's the same with other artists, I get a lot of times where I'm like, "Yo, who would even care whether I do this or whether I do that? If I post this or that, who cares?" I go through that a lot and then, you know, performing in front of all these people and they actually do care and they sing along, they react, reply, and they make noise for you and it's just an amazing feeling and it feels so validating.

Earlier this year you did a song with Imani-J. How did that come about?

I had this one song that I was working on and I was listening to it, and thinking “I need another perspective.”

The song is basically just about two people in a relationship and they're going through a rough patch, and one thinks this way and the other thinks that way. And I was like, "I need a girl perspective from this, 'cause this could really bring it to life." I reached out, and she reached back and we met up and we talked about the song and she said she really liked it, and she said she could give the perfect counter view.

She came through to the studio, we recorded it and it was really good. It was a fun process. Even making the music video as well, it was nice to put a a visualiser to the song.

You can read my interview with Imani-J here.

So what's the story behind your new album Big 40 Not The Little One?

So the title in itself, "Big 40", that's just some corny stuff people call me. Like, I'll be out will come to me and say “oh look it's the Big Forty, Big Forty” it's dumb but I guess I have to roll with it.

And my cousin, she's always like, "Oh, Big Forty, Big Forty, not the little one." Because I’m big now and not little. So it's goofy, but when I was thinking of an album name, I was just thinking how everyone that knows me calls me Big Forty.

And with the album I wanted to kinda sell the idea that I'm older now, I've experienced different things, different interactions. Growing up here in New Zealand, South Africa, with Zimbabwean roots, just experiences with people, like relationships, experiences with friends, experiences with family members, and just going out.

A lot of the songs have a key connection to that type of environment, something I've experienced in my life growing up here, growing up wherever. It's kinda just me placing it here and being like, "Okay, this is me. This is my sound. This is how I want to be perceived as.”

I feel like a lot of people will be able to connect to different songs. I feel like anybody, regardless of the genre you listen to, I feel like there's at least one song you can be like, "Okay, yeah, this is cool. This is a nice song." I think its really versatile and I just wanted to really deliver my artistry and let the world know who I am, what I've been through, you know, all the experiences. I've felt certain things. I've felt sadness, I've felt happiness. I've just felt nothing as well. I've just chilled, you know? You'll see in the album it has a lot of different elements of happiness, sadness, anxiety, and everything.

Is there one song on the album that feels especially personal to you?

I would say one that is really personal to me would be Take Me Over. The song was produced by Chris Ingram, he's my producer, and we were in the Sniffers studio. He played me the beat, and I was like, "Yeah, this is hard." We worked on the beat, and then I started recording. To be honest, I'm so used to recording at home. But that was one of the first times I've actually been recorded in another environment and it was actually really good. Like, the studio felt comfortable. Chris was comfortable. We were all comfortable. I was in an environment where I could come up with ideas, melodies, and flows, and the beat was really good as well. And I feel like that one is personal because it happened straight after a breakup that I went through, and it was really fresh. The wound was kinda fresh, so everything I was saying came from a really strong emotion. 

Has making the album changed how you see your own sound? Have you seen an evolution of your sound, is this album moving your sound into a new place?

Definitely. I understand what I like more now. I understand what I would do and wouldn't do now. I understand the type of stuff I want to resonate with my sound,  and just the stuff that I want to have connected to me. Things like me not swearing. I don't like to swear in any of my music because I want my music to be for everyone. I don't like to promote bad stuff. It's just things I know about myself, where I can say “this is me, and this is what I would do.”

Do you have a favourite venue or performance that you've done so far?

Favourite performance I would say was at Galatos. Galatos is a really nice venue, and we really got the sound working really well and the instruments as well. Either that or this one time I performed for Erons David, I performed at one of his events. He's this podcaster. He does shows and stuff. I was sitting down in front of a crowd with a chair, and I was really just going in, you know? I enjoyed being able to, like, just pour my heart out on the stage.

Yeah. Do you have a dream venue or festival that you'd love to play?

Probably, like Rolling Loud. I would love to play at Afrosoul as well, that one is probably a bit more realistic. I would love to do Wireless in the UK. And then Afro Nation in Portugal. 

What about a dream artist collaboration?

I would love to work with Octavian. And I would love to work with A Boogie With the Hoodie. Those two would be my dream collabs because they're just my favourite artists, and also I feel like in terms of artistry, I connect with them the most.

So you’ve got your album coming out. Is there anything else coming up soon for you?

Before the album drops we'll just be doing a lot of promo. I don't think I'll be releasing anything before that. I'm really trying to focus on putting everything I have towards the album, just focusing on just making sure the album is as best as possible.

After that we've got so many music videos. I’m gonna have a music video for at least eight songs off the album. It's gonna be a lot of content, and it's gonna be a way for people to see my character, engage with me, and understand the type of person I am.

That's gonna be one of the things I focus on is connecting with the audience, connecting with people that may like my music, and showing a bit of character. And a lot of visualisers, lots of music videos, lots of promo, and just lots of content. Yeah, it's gonna be great.

You can follow Furo 4404 on Instagram @furo.4404