Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career they have been a power trio with drummer Tré Cool, who replaced John Kiffmeyer in 1990 before the recording of the band's second studio album, Kerplunk (1991). Before taking its current name in 1989, Green Day was called Blood Rage, then Sweet Children. They were part of the late 1980s/early 1990s Bay Area punk scene that emerged from the 924 Gilman Street club in Berkeley, California. The band's early releases were with the independent record label Lookout! Records. In 1994, their major-label debut Dookie, released through Reprise Records, became a breakout success and eventually shipped over 10 million copies in the U.S. Alongside fellow California punk bands Bad Religion, the Offspring, Rancid, NOFX, Pennywise and Social Distortion, Green Day is credited with popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the U.S.
Hugh Ramapolo Masekela was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for writing well-known anti-apartheid songs such as "Soweto Blues" and "Bring Him Back Home". He also had a number-one US pop hit in 1968 with his version of "Grazing in the Grass".
Freshlyground are a South African, indie rock band which genres span between jazz, blues and kwela formed in Cape Town in 2002. The band members have different backgrounds, including South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. Freshlyground's musical style blends various elements such as traditional South African music which the band dubbed as "Afro fusion". They are best known for their performance "Waka Waka " with Colombian singer Shakira, which received worldwide recognition. The music video – featuring the group – also received over 3 billion views on YouTube, making it the 21st most watched video on the entire site.
Shiamak Davar is an Indian choreographer, noted as one of the first to bring contemporary jazz and western forms of dance to India. He is known as the guru of contemporary dance in India. He is responsible for modernizing India's dance scene especially in the film and theatre industries. He is respected for his ever-evolving and very popular "Shiamak Style" of dance. He was the director of choreography for the Commonwealth Games, Melbourne and Commonwealth Games, Delhi. In 2011 he choreographed the dance sequences for the movie Mission Impossible 4.
The Parlotones are a renowned South African indie rock band hailing from Johannesburg, formed in 1998. The ensemble features Kahn Morbee on vocals and rhythm guitar, Paul Hodgson as lead guitarist, Glen Hodgson handling bass guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals, and Neil Pauw on drums and percussion. Originally rooted in Britpop, The Parlotones' music has evolved to encompass a diverse range of genres, with lyrics centered on relatable themes such as love and everyday life, complemented by engaging and memorable melodies.
The first annual MTV Africa Music Awards took place on November 22, 2008 in Abuja, Nigeria at The Velodrome. The show was hosted by Trevor Nelson. The nominees were announced on October 7, 2008.
"Halo" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). Included on the I Am... disc, it was intended to give a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Beyoncé's life, stripped of her make-up and celebrity trappings. Columbia Records released the song, the album's fourth single, to mainstream radio in the United States on January 20, 2009, and to international markets from February 20. Inspired by Ray LaMontagne's 2004 song "Shelter", "Halo" was written by Ryan Tedder and Evan Bogart, with the former producing it alongside Beyoncé, who handled the vocal production. It was originally conceived by Tedder and Bogart specifically for Beyoncé, although there was media speculation that it had been intended for Leona Lewis.
Die Heuwels Fantasties is an Afrikaans rock band from Bellville, South Africa. The group is made up of Hunter Kennedy, Pierre Greeff (Lukraaketaar), Fred den Hartog (Thieve), and Sheldon Yoko. As of 2022, they have released eight studio albums and four EPs, all on their own record label, Supra Familias.
GoldFish is an electronic duo originating from Cape Town, South Africa, now residing in San Diego, California consisting of Dominic Peters and David Poole. They create dance music containing elements of house, pop, jazz and African music. The band has released a number of albums, including Late Night People, Perceptions of Pacha, Get Busy Living. and If Summer Was A Sound. They were named "Best Pop" at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2014. Their 6th album If Summer Was A Sound is out on 29 September 2023.
2NE1 was a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, which was active between 2009 and 2016. The group was composed of four members: Bom, CL, Dara, and Minzy. Known for breaking typical stereotypes of K-pop, musical experimentation, fashion, and stage presence, they are recognized for expanding girl group styles in the Korean music industry and have become one of the leading figures of the Korean wave.
Jann Klose is a German pop singer-songwriter, who has released seven albums and two EPs. Based in New York City, Klose was raised in Kenya, South Africa, Germany, and northeast Ohio. His original songs have charted on Top 40 radio in the United States and South Africa. He is the singing voice of Tim Buckley in the movie Greetings from Tim Buckley, starring Penn Badgley and Imogen Poots, released by Focus Features and Tribeca Film. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Jann talks about guitarist and collaborator Gary Lucas recommending him to director Dan Algrant to sing in the movie. He has performed as an actor and singer in touring companies of Broadway musicals, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Jekyll & Hyde, and The Who's Tommy as well as made for TV movies, voice overs and commercials. In 2005, the off-Broadway production Moonlight Interior, a musical based on Klose's music and directed by Yoel Cassell, premiered in New York City.
Jody Williams is a South African pop/R&B singer. She won the fourth season of the South African reality television singing competition Idols on 9 December 2007 at age 17, making her the youngest winner of the competition until 2017, when Paxton Fielies won the Competition at age 17.
Locnville is a South African electro hop music duo. Identical twin brothers Andrew and Brian Chaplin formed Locnville in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2009. The twins are singer-songwriters, song producers and musicians, in addition to being guitarists, drummers and business entrepreneurs.
Jan Adriaan Hoogendyk, known professionally as Elvis Blue, is a South African musician and songwriter.
Ed Jordan is a South African musician, composer, singer-songwriter, actor, TV and radio presenter. His most recent work was for Spud the Movie starring John Cleese, where he wrote and produced the orchestral score and the theme songs as working as music supervisor on the film. Jordan is known in South Africa for his pop rock songs and ballads, presenting the TV show Deal Or No Deal and for his Beautiful Creatures children's brand, which he co-founded in 2004.
Latoya Nontokozo Buthelezi, known professionally as Toya Delazy, is a London-based South African singer, producer, pianist, dancer and performer from KwaZulu-Natal. She is known for her music genre called "AfroRave", which fuses techno, drum, bass and beats with Zulu lyricism. Delazy was nominated for Best International Act (Africa) at the 2013 BET Awards. Her debut studio album Due Drop was supported by five singles: "Pump It On", "Love Is in the Air", "Are You Gonna Stay?", "Heart" and "Memoriam". Following the album's release, Delazy took home two awards at the 2013 SAMAs, including Newcomer of the Year.
Due Drop is the debut studio album by South African singer Toya Delazy. It was released by SME Africa on 23 April 2012. The album is a fusion of JEHP, an acronym for Jazz, Electro, Hip hop, and Pop. Production for the standard edition of the album was primarily handled by Jax Panik. The Johannesburg-based production duo Octave Couplet also assisted with production. The deluxe edition of the album includes addition production and remixes from Justin Denobrega, Pascal & Pearce, and Classy Menace.
Matthew Joseph Mole is a South African singer-songwriter from Cape Town, South Africa. He is the winner of the South African Music Awards record of the year 2021.
Amanda Benedicta Antony, known professionally as Amanda Black, is a South African singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Gcuwa her career began in 1999 at the age of 6 singing in church choirs. Amanda was a contestant on Idols South Africa season 11. Black relocated to Johannesburg in 2016 to pursue her career in music. She signed a record deal with Ambitiouz Entertainment in 2016 and achieved recognition in same year following the release of her hit single "Amazulu", which was nominated for several music awards.
Eike Moriz, better known as Ike Moriz, is a German-South African singer, songwriter, musician, record producer and actor. He has released 20 albums in the indie rock, pop, Latin, easy listening, dance, lounge, blues, jazz and swing genres.
