Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
musiclatest news & developments
Cultural mix: Superstar mixes MetroBeatz RSA’s Tsonga and Xigaza influences with Lowfeye’s inspired sound. Photo: Supplied
A BELMOND HOTEL

Gig Guide: MetroBeatz RSA drops Superstar, AMURA and ANTHM one-night-only dining experience and Disney On Ice returns to South Africa

Your essential dose of art and culture

  • Lesego Chepape
2 min read
Intentional: Sbahle is building the soundtrack for romance. Photo: Supplied
AFRO SOUL

Gig Guide: Sbahle releases Some More, Erin Elliot enters her “Unhinged” era and Rivoningo releases Xikwembu Xa Tintswalo

Sbahle calls in Afro-Soul royalty for ‘Some More’ Love is loud, dramatic and beautifully vulnerable on Sbahle’s new single Some More, a soulful collaboration featuring Afro-soul…

  • Lesego Chepape
3 min read
National Team: Trevor Noah (left), is the captain of the SA National Team of Comedy, Eugene Khoza (centre) the vice captain and Ntosh Madlingozi the coach. Photo: Supplied
ART

Gig Guide: Savanna presents Festival of Comedy, Dominica releases Your Presence and Santu Mofokeng at the Standard Bank Art Lab

Your essential dose of art and culture

  • Lesego Chepape
2 min read
DJ KENZHERO

Nomsa Mazwai’s sober fest reimagines how we celebrate

A Freedom Day weekend gathering at the Soweto Theatre, where families are invited to experience music, food and wellness, fully present and fully sober

  • Lesego Chepape
6 min read
An experience: The album leans into a laid-back, cohesive mood that stretches beyond genre. Photo: Supplied
FRIDAY

Gig Guide: Kabza De Small, Sly, and The Big Hash release Love Is A Star, Joya Mooi releases All The Things and Countdown to ULTRA South Africa

Your essential dose of art and culture

  • Lesego Chepape
2 min read
Next chapter: Take Me Home, Freshlyground’s new album feels less like a comeback and more like a recalibration. Not just of sound but of identity. Photo: Supplied
AFRO FUSION

Take Me Home finds Freshlyground listening forward

Seven years on, Freshlyground return not to reclaim their past, but to reshape it, finding new voice, new audience and a softer more expansive sense of home

  • Lesego Chepape
7 min read
Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse performs on the Kippies stage during the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Photo: Armand Hough
AFRICAN MUSIC

Forty years of fire: Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse ignites Cape Town Jazz Fest

Witnessing his fans dancing to ‘Burn Out’ proved to Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse his enduring power. The legend talks about his energy-filled performance at the Cape Town International…

  • Busi Lethole
7 min read
Powerful presence: Fatoumata Diawara performing at the CTIJF 2026. Photo: Armand Hough
ACTIVISM

Fatoumata Diawara channels ancestry and activism in Cape Town

Blending Malian heritage with high-energy pop, Fatoumata Diawara used the CTIJF stage to honour her roots and confront FGM, proving that heritage and modern activism are…

  • Busi Lethole
8 min read
British multi-instrumentalist and seven-time Grammy winner Jacob Collier performs on the Kippies stage at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in Cape Town. Picture / Henk Kruger / Independent Media
ABDULLAH IBRAHIM

Reinventing the Cape Town International Jazz Festival without losing the jazz

Co-director Georgia Jones says the festival’s future depends on championing African artists, drawing younger audiences and making space for genres like amapiano without losing…

  • Busi Lethole
10 min read
Salif Keita celebrates Montreux’s arrival in Africa, urging artists to honour their roots while embracing music as a universal language
ARTICLE

Salif Keita pulls out of Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek due to illness

Salif Keita has withdrawn from the Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek due to a sudden illness, with his band set to perform a tribute in his absence

  • Lesego Chepape
2 min read
A deeper voice: Bubu’s album, Folklore Chapter One, was the seed of the Folklore Festival that has become an ecosystem stretching across disciplines and inviting conversation.
ART

Pilane Bubu and the work of remembering through folklore

Through its KinFolk theme, the Folklore Festival returns to the work of connection, bridging generations, regions and disciplines to reimagine how South Africa remembers,…

  • Lesego Chepape
7 min read
Blended sound: Apiwe Bubu and Andile Yenana’s performance is a dialogue between mastery and emergence. Photo: Supplied
ANDILE YENANA

Gig Guide: Apiwe Bubu joins his mentor Andile Yenana live at Afrikan Freedom Station, K.O Marks 20 Years with 20 Summers and Viwo Kulati tours Gauteng

Your essential dose of art and culture

  • Lesego Chepape
2 min read
Intimate: The Moth will feature African storytellers sharing true, personal 10-minute stories about forging new paths. Photo: Supplied
20 YEARS IN MUSIC

Gig Guide: The Moth returns to Johannesburg, Zu’s 20 years in music and the Maison Martell residency arrives in Johannesburg

Your essential dose of art and culture

  • Lesego Chepape
2 min read
A certain presence: Nobantu Vilakazi describes herself as a DJ, a vocalist, a songwriter and a hitmaker. Photo: Supplied
ABAFANA BASE GOLI

How Amapiano’s first lady is defining her own lane

Nobantu Vilakazi cements her solo era with ‘Abafana Base Goli’, a bold anthem blending township truth and irresistible grooves

  • Lesego Chepape
7 min read
Mahindra Fusion Fest 2026 returns to Pretoria this March, transforming the SunBet Arena into an immersive collision of music, fashion and art that celebrates the bold future of South African creativity
ART

Mahindra Fusion Fest Returns: Bigger, bolder and unapologetically South African

Mahindra Fusion Fest 2026 returns to Pretoria this March, transforming the SunBet Arena into an immersive collision of music, fashion and art that celebrates the bold future of…

  • Lesego Chepape
3 min read
Resonance: Long before China was thinking about crowds, gigs or longevity, he was thinking about emotion, about what happens beneath the surface when sound interacts with the human spirit. Photo: Supplied
CHINA

China’s 20 year journey in sound

China isn’t chasing trends, he’s building legacy, one intentional set, one emotional transition and one timeless story at a time

  • Lesego Chepape
9 min read
Soulful: Freshlyground’s single Take Me Home is a heartfelt anthem for anyone craving belonging. Photo: Supplied
BASE

Gig Guide: Freshlyground return with Take Me Home, The Centre for Jazz and Popular Music presents The Gatherers with Sbusiso Ncube and  BASE Pulse to launch soon to DStv Channel 322

Your essential dose of art and culture

  • Lesego Chepape
2 min read
Smooth ’90s: Boyz II Men’s tour promises an unforgettable night of romance, rhythm and vocal brilliance. Photo: Supplied
BOYZ II MEN

Gig Guide: Boyz II Men return to South Africa, Giselle makes its way to the State Theatre and Rubicon showcases fashion with a purpose

Your essential dose of art and culture

  • Lesego Chepape
2 min read
Power duo: Coco and J’Something host the festival that blends culinary artistry with soul culture. Photo: Supplied
BEN RODRIGUES

Gig Guide: Ben Rodrigues releases Hazel Eyes, Coco & J’Something’s ‘Lovers Rock’ returns this Valentine’s Day and catch The Rise by Kgethang Konese this Easter

Your essential dose of art and culture

  • Lesego Chepape
  • Busi Lethole
2 min read
Protégé: Nomabotwe’s story is shaped by patience and long pauses over 20 years.
20 YEARS

Nomabotwe and the quiet work of survival

Nomabotwe reflects on endurance, emotional honesty and the power of listening in an industry that rarely rewards softness

  • Lesego Chepape
6 min read