Dato Seiko

Dato Seiko, born Katlego Ntirang, is a Motswana singer, songwriter and film producer based in Gaborone, Botswana. Describing herself as a genre-fluid musician, her work spans alternative, R&B and soul, drawing on personal experiences of love, identity and emotional resilience. She is the younger sister of kwaito artist Mapetla. She trained in film production at AFDA Botswana and uses her visual storytelling background to complement her musical output.

Her 2023 single The Vow was distributed through Warner Music Africa and generated over 44,000 user-created videos on TikTok collectively drawing more than 44.8 million views on the platform.

Early life and career Katlego Ntirang grew up in Gaborone in a musical family, and has described music as her primary means of emotional expression from childhood. She pursued formal training in film production at AFDA Botswana, a decision she has attributed to her belief that visual storytelling would enhance her ability to communicate through music. Prior to releasing her own material she collaborated with DJ Kuchi, co-writing and recording a song for the SKY Girls BW teenage empowerment campaign.

The EP reached the top of the Apple Music Alternative charts in Botswana and received coverage in international music publications including Tha Native magazine.

Singles In 2023, Dato Seiko released "The Vow", which she has described as originating from a personal affirmations exercise in which she imagined the words she would want spoken to her at a wedding. The song went viral on TikTok and was subsequently distributed through Warner Music Africa.

Live performances In November 2021, Dato Seiko performed an emotional cover of DJ Zinhle's hit Umlilo at Avani Gaborone Resort & Casino during a live event also featuring DJ Zinhle. The performance visibly moved DJ Zinhle, who commented that she should consider recording a song in Botswana.

In November 2025, she announced a solo show titled The Healing Point at Maitisong theatre in Gaborone. The show was conceived as the conclusion of a thematic trilogy spanning the experiences of loving, losing and healing.