Remaining honest in her voice as a symbol of relatability for women navigating life, love and relationships, RAE.chil’s “Ego” perfectly breaks down the end of a relationship killed by a veil of shallowness masking a deep set of fears and insecurities within. The musician gives us an intimate posthumous dissection of relationships, where we find…
New Zealand singer/songwriter, Teeks, captured the imaginations and hearts of the world with his heartstring-pulling single, “First Time”. The song particularly resonated with South Africans as it topped the iTunes and Spotify charts in the country, had a fair share of radio play as well as making its mark on Tik Tok. It is the…
“The whole idea behind the station, is to provide a platform and a space for people to express their musical and sonic experiences. It is a space for complete freedom of expression, a space for you to go a bit deeper. That idea encompasses a lot but ultimately, if you’re playing on Hamshack, it should…
“I am so excited about this video. The song directly translates to the visual narrative where my insecurities are personified and have initial control. I try to run away from them but eventually embrace and make peace with them — you see me dancing with them in the video.” Espacio Dios (2021) Espacio Dios has…
Maeta has been quietly rumbling under the surface since dropping her 2019 EP, Do Not Disturb and appearing in the “Jam in the Van” sessions. The Indianapolis-born singer is taking it to the next level with her new EP, Habits. The seven-track project is a mixture of R&B ballads, dance, and hip-hop-infused songs that make…
When was the last time we, through the contemporary music diaspora, thought a young artist spoke for a particular generation or group of people? Collectively, I’m not sure however as writers, probably not too long ago as we often suggest that statement and conflate the release of artworks at a particular time to them presenting…
Shanti Cullis (aka $tar Playa Nyaoza) — born in Cape Town in 2001 and living in Yeoville since his relocation to Joburg — may not be a household name, however, given his most recent releases, I wouldn’t be surprised if all that was to change sooner rather than later. There’s something about the hypnotic, off-kilter…
Muzi, aka The Zulu Skywalker, opens “Come Duze”, the fourth video from his upcoming album with the phrase “Nhlangano i matimba” on screen and shots of a scenic landscape surrounding traditional dancers. An ode to the vast beauty and existence of the land that is Limpopo — all in the span of a three-minute and…
“Pre-pandemic, there was a plan. The plan was for musicians from South Africa and Senegal to travel to London’s influential Total Refreshment Centre to make an album with musical kindred spirits in the UK. Like so many plans, it had to be adapted.” On Our Own Clock It took me about 3 seconds to raise…
Nothing disrupts the usual, the typical, the average and even mediocre, like the success of authentic self-expression. Coming off of the trails of their debut album Death Becomes Her and their EP Alla Prima, Angel-Ho releases their latest project, A Time To Die, under the collective and record label N.A.A.F.I. A musician and creative director originally from Cape Town, Angel…
Not many people are lucky enough to discover what they are destined for from a very young age and excel. Lex LaFoy exists on the contrary and as she raps in NewWorldDaughter, her 6th recorded project. She’s been a force within the South African music scene since high school, “when hip-hop was not that cool”….
Two months ago Desire Marea blessed us with the release of their “Tavern Kween” music video. Directed by Allison Swank, the video off of their self-titled album, Desire, “belongs to Mary Magdalene of murky ecstasies —an embodiment of the spiritual and sensual gyrating and alive in the modern world.” As I write in my piece,…
