Bird born in '97 from Down Under (Africa Edition (I'm talking about South Africa))


Anonymous Guest asked:

Are there many South African musicians you're a big fan of? If so, which ones come to mind? I adore the way many musicians of South Africa and the continent of Africa as a whole reinterpret many genres of the world and come up with their own spins on things, as well as invent many genres themselves!

To be honest I don't listen to too many South African musicians. I've been very into psychedelic rock lately and it's not a common genre here. That said, there are a few songs by local musicians I really like!

One song that I didn't even know was from ZA was Push Me to the Floor by The Parlotones. It's a catchy ballad-y song that's just got good vibes. It kinda reminds me of Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol, which is another lovely vive.

Another local band that's more edm-ish is Goldfish. The first song I heard of theirs was I think their 2013 song One Million Views on the radio. Total bop.

Speaking of songs I heard on the radio, Lazy Bones by Desmond and the Tutus is a very fun kind of rock pop song.

And I can't talk about ZA bands without mentioning Freshly Ground. An oldie but still good is their song Doo Be Doo. Fun fact: They also performed with Shakira during the FIFA 2010 song Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)

I know this list is mostly white and also old, but it's the kind of music I listened to growing up as a white South African. There's some classic indigenous songs too that I really like, but I can't remember their names off the top of my head >~<

Thanks for asking! I love sharing the local culture here!


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in reply to @PreschoolKaiju's post:

Seconding Goldfish and Freshly Ground for sure - the groove is infectious ❤️

Mzansi music from other genres that I've been big on recently include:

-Msaki (one of my all-time favorite singers, acoustic with a lot of gospel and jazz influence in her early work, moving more towards R&B and house music on more recent albums)

-Nobuhle (R&B with quality house beats, her singing reminds me a lot of Shakira)

-Lloyiso (very soulful R&B, in a style I can only describe as the Sam Smith of Mzansi)

And if house music and other EDM is your jam, great places to start are Zakes Bantwini, Sun-El Musician, Simmy, and Prince Kaybee. Isgubhu music (broadly referring to all sorts of Mzansi dance music) tends to blend the classic four-on-the-floor and synth riffs of global house music with additional instruments and vocal harmonies that reflect traditional indigenous musical stylings. It's a treat for sure!

All these artists typically sing in a mix of English and their home languages -- I don't speak Zulu, and only understand a little bit of Xhosa, but I find all of this music beautiful regardless of whether or not I know what the words mean!