The music of South Africa exhibits a culturally varied musical heritage in conjunction with the multi-ethnic populace. Genres with the greatest international recognition being mbube, isicathamiya, mbaqanga, afrofusion, kwaito, South African pop music, afro house, South African hip hop, Shangaan electro, bacardi house, bolo house, gqom and amapiano.
Graceland is the seventh solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was produced by Simon, engineered by Roy Halee and released on August 25, 1986, by Warner Bros. Records. It incorporates genres including pop, rock, a cappella, zydeco, and South African styles such as isicathamiya and mbaqanga.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They became known internationally after singing with American Paul Simon on his 1986 album Graceland. They have since won multiple awards, including five Grammy Awards the fifth of which they dedicated to the late former South African President Nelson Mandela.
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is a song originally written and first recorded in 1939 by Solomon Linda under the title "Mbube", through South African Gallo Record Company. In 1961, a version adapted into English by the doo-wop group the Tokens became a number-one hit in the United States. It earned millions in royalties from cover versions and film licensing. Lyrics of Linda's original version were written in Zulu, while those from the Tokens' adaptation were written by George David Weiss.
Mbube is a form of South African vocal music, made famous by the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The word mbube means "Lion" in Zulu. Traditionally performed acappella, the members of the group are male, although a few groups have a female singer. In this form, groups of voices singing homophonically in rhythmic unison are employed to create intricate harmonies and textures.
The Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album is an honor presented to recording artists for influential music from around the globe at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
PJ Powers is a South African singer and performer. She became a household name in southern Africa after the widespread success of the song “Jabulani”. When she played at the Jabulani Amphitheatre in 1983 she was hailed by the crowd with the name “Thandeka”. On the stage she drank from a calabash as part of the performance to the delight of the audience. World in Union 95, the Ladysmith Black Mambazo version featuring PJ Powers, became an international hit record in 1995. It reached no. 47 in the UK singles charts.
Bhekizizwe Joseph Shabalala was a South African singer and musician who was the founder and musical director of the choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Gallo Record Company is the largest record label in South Africa. It is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is owned by Arena Holdings. The current Gallo Record Company is a hybrid of two South African record labels, rivals between the 1940s and 1980s: the original Gallo Africa (1926–85) and G.R.C.. In 1985 Gallo Africa acquired G.R.C.; as a result, Gallo Africa became known as Gallo-GRC. Five years after the acquisition, the company was renamed Gallo Record Company.
Heads Up International is a jazz record label that was formed in Cleveland, Ohio. It was bought by the Concord Music Group in 2005.
"Jerusalema" is a song by South African DJ and record producer, Master KG featuring South African vocalist Nomcebo. The upbeat gospel-influenced house song was initially released on 29 November 2019 after it garnered positive response online, with a music video following on 21 December. The music video of the song has generated half a billion views on YouTube. It was later included on Master KG's second album of the same title, released in January 2020. A single edit was released on streaming services on 10 July 2020, after it went viral during mid-2020, garnering international reaction due to the #JerusalemaChallenge. A remix featuring Nigerian singer Burna Boy was released on 19 June 2020. It reached number one in Belgium, Netherlands, Romania and Switzerland, while peaking in the top ten of multiple other European countries. A second remix featuring Venezuelan singer Micro TDH and Colombian singer Greeicy was released on 17 September 2020.
Wouter Kellerman is a two-time Grammy Award-winning South African flautist, producer and composer who has won nine South African Music Awards. Classically trained, Kellerman performs primarily World, Roots and New Age music.
The Soil is a South African a cappella group from Soweto founded in 2003, consisting of the lead singer Ntsika Ngxanga, beatboxer Luphindo, and vocalist Theo Matshoba.
Zakhele Madida, known professionally as Zakes Bantwini, is a South African singer, record producer and businessman.
Nomcebo Nothule Zikode is a South African singer and songwriter. Born in Hammarsdale, Zikode was a backing singer for several years. She collaborated with DJ Ganyani on their hit single "Emazulwini" (2018).
Journey of Dreams is an album by the South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, released in 1988. Journey of Dreams also served as the title of a film about frontman Joseph Shabalala, directed by David Lister and shot around the same time. Shabalala chose the title in part to describe his journey from his birthplace of Ladysmith to international success. It also refers to his desire to get the sound he heard in his dreams on to record. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Traditional Folk Recording". The group supported it with North American tour.
The Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance is an award presented by the Recording Academy to honor quality African music performances in any given year. The award was presented for the first time at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in 2024, and is a sister category to the Best Global Music Performance award, following on from the creation of that category in 2022, and sits in the global genre field.
The 29th Annual South African Music Awards is the 29th ceremony of the South African Music Awards. The ceremony was aired live on SABC 1 on November 18, 2023 hosted by DJ Sabby and Nomalanga Shozi at SunBet Arena.
The 30th Annual South African Music Awards took place on 2 November 2024 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng. Hosted by Minnie Dlamini and presented by the Recording Industry of South Africa, the event was live streamed on YouTube and broadcast on SABC1 at 20:00 South Africa Standard Time (UTC+02:00). It honoured the best albums, music videos and songs released in South Africa during the period 15 April 2023 to 14 April 2024.
