Afropop Nation, Episode 9

The first episode features multi-award-winning musician Joe Nina. Born into a musical family, he clinched his first record deal at 14 and has topped various music charts since.

Vocalist and songwriter Kaylow's love songs have been compared to Oscar Wilde's quotes. He took home 'Best Male Vocalist' for his second album at South Africa's inaugural Dance Music Awards.

Katlego Ntirang, aka Dato Seiko, is one of Botswana's best genre-fluid vocalists. One of her major milestones was topping the Apple Music Alternative Charts over artists like Billie Eilish.

Maleh's sound blends rich melodies and raw baselines of West and Southern African music. She joined an Afro-pop group in high school and has gone on to create a sound that is an authentic representation of her spirit.

Nathi Mankayi credits his musical success to sticking to his roots and singing in vernacular. His latest offering, Usiba Lwe Gazi, is considered a spiritual masterpiece.

Known as the First Lady of Inkabi Records, singer and songwriter Lwah Ndlunkulu was born in KwaZulu-Natal. She moved to Joburg in 2020 to pursue a music career and has been topping the charts since.

Afropop singer and songwriter Nomfundo Moh was awarded a South African Music Award for Best Afropop Album for her rich body of work. She continues to contribute a unique sound to the Afropop genre.

Aymos has brought soulful vocals and substance to the Amapiano culture. He aims to bridge the gap between Afropop and Amapiano. To date, Aymos has released four albums.

Thaabe Letsie, aka Ntate Stunna, is a songwriter and record producer. This artist from Lesotho has had a wide reach with his music and has become a household name in the Lesotho hip-hop scene.

Manana is a South Africa-based singer, songwriter, and producer whose versatility allows him to move between genres. Manana spent six years at the Drakensberg Boys Choir School in the 2000s.

Kabomo is a South African writer, poet, editor, musician, producer, artist manager, and actor. He has opened for international artists and has shared stages with Questlove of the Roots and Angelique Kidjo.

The Soil is an acapella group from Soweto, founded in 2003. Described as 'Kasi Soul', The Soil strives to fuse its voices to deliver melodic and uplifting messages.

Buhlebendalo, aka Buhle, is a Soweto-born gender activist and musician. She describes her music as isigqi sakwantu, which is influenced by her calling as a sangoma.