D.Y.K – 9 June 2021

SZA

• Having grown up in  a Muslim home, SZA says she was afraid to wear the Hijab after 9/11
• SZA was the most nominated woman at the 2018 Grammy Awards
• She trained as a gymnast for 13 years
• She is the only female artist signed with Top Dawg Entertainment, who reps rappers like Schoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar
• Her name is an acronym derived from the supreme alphabet, which is a system of interpreting a text by assigning meaning to letters of the Roman alphabet, the religious belief system of the Nation of Gods and Earth.

 

 

MLINDO

• Lindokuhle Mgedezi (born 5 October 1995), known professionally as Mlindo the Vocalist, is a South African singer and songwriter.
• He gained recognition following his debut single, “Amablesser”, taken from his debut album, Emakhaya.
• He was born in 1995 in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal.
• At the age of four, he became part of a local church where he discovered his vocal skills.
• After being discovered by DJ Maphorisa on Twitter, he signed him to his label BlaqBoy Music, then later signed with Universal Music Africa.

 

 

KWESTA

• Senzo Brikka Vilakazi (born 11 August 1988) known professionally as Kwesta, is a South African rapper and songwriter.
• Born and raised in Katlehong, Gauging, a township also known as “K1”.  At the age of 15 in High School, he and his friends formed a rap group “Ghetto Fellaz” which then changed to “The Juvenylz”, in 2003.
• He released his debut studio album Special ReKwest (2010) and his second album DaKAR (2013), which peaked number 3 on iTunes South Africa Hip-hop/Rap chart
• In February 26, 2016, he released his third album DaKAR II, which singles include – “Ngud’,” “Nomayini,” “Day Ones,” “Ngiyazifela Ngawe,” “Mayibabo” and “Mmino” and was certified 7x Platinum by Recording Industry of South Africa (RISA)
• He is currently signed to his own independent media company known as RapLyf Record, with co-founder Kid X

 

 

THABSIE:

• Thabsie, whose birth name is Bathabise Biyela started her music career as a backup singer for many artists such as Cassper Nyovest, Donald, Black Motion, Khuli Chana, and Proverb.
• Born in Cape Town and raised in Somerset West, Thabsie enjoyed singing from a very young age. She loved participating in musical ventures, whether alone or in a group such as a choir.
• She attended the University of Johannesburg and graduated with a BCom Economics degree. She then landed a corporate job in an investment bank.
• Thabsie quickly rose to fame after featuring in Kwesta’s song, Ngiyaz’fela Ngawe, in 2017.
• In less than 12 months of being in the industry, she had already been nominated for 3 SA Music Awards.

 

BRYSON TILLER

• Bryson Djuan Tiller (born January 2, 1993) is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter.
• Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he started his career in 2011, releasing the debut mixtape titled Killer Instinct Vol.1.
• Tiller initially gained notable recognition following the release of his debut single, “Don’t” which peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The record’s success led to a deal with RCA Records.
• He released his debut studio album, Trapsoul in October 2015, which reached number eight on the Billboard 200.
• His debut album’s second single “Exchange” peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him a Grammy nomination.

 

 

JESSE CLEGG

• Jesse Clegg (born June 14, 1988) is a South African singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist
• three studio albums, When I Wake Up, his 2011 follow up Life on Mars, and his latest, Things Unseen, have made Clegg a platinum-selling success
• He is the son of SOuth African legend Johnny Clegg. Jesse spent the first six years of his life on tour with his father.
• After the widespread acclaim of his first album, Clegg’s music caught the attention of the Canadian record producer David Bottrill. He subsequently moved to Toronto for four months.
• He has released six Top 10 singles and toured extensively throughout South Africa. As an official ambassador for the Nelson Mandela 46664 Foundation.

 

 

BIG ZULU

• Siyabonga Nene, known as Big Zulu, was born and raised in Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal, and fell in love with music at a young age.
• He was influenced by Maskandi and Scathamiya Music growing up with the likes of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Imithente and Phuzekhemisi being his favourite artists.
• He spent six years as an independent artist until he signed with Universal Records after the likes of Ntokozo Sithole noticed him
• He was first a taxi driver until 2008 when he decided to dive into the music

 

 

MDUDUZI NCUBE

• Mduduzi Ncube is a South African singer and songwriter. Ncube hails from Hammarsdale in KwaZulu Natal.
• In high school, the aspirant musician started a group of four members with his friends. Drawing inspiration from The Soil and Akon, the group explored the music scene. The group unfortunately split in their matric year after two years together.
• Two years after matric, Mduduzi was gifted with a guitar. He taught himself how to play and perfect the instrument. Ncube then started going into his town and performing and busking. After a video of one of his performances went viral, Mduduzi slowly started building a fanbase.
• He started his music career by taking a leap of faith and campaign outside DJ Tira’s office to play his guitar, until Tira noticed him
• Today he’s a recording artists that is signed onto the popular record label, Afrotainment

 

 

ALESSIA CARA

• Alessia Cara was born on July 11, 1996, in Mississauga, Ontario, and grew up in Brampton, Ontario where she attended Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic Secondary School
• Her father was born in Canada to Italian parents, and her mother is an Italian immigrant. She can speak Italian fluently
• She began playing guitar at the age of 10 and taught herself how to play various songs
• At the age of 13, she began her own YouTube channel where she posted covers of songs that she performed. She saw Justin Bieber as a career model at the time.
• In April 2015, Cara released her official debut single through Def Jam, titled “Here”.

 

 

ELAINE

• Ndivhuwo Elaine Mukheli (born 2 April 1999), known monomously as Elaine, is a South African R&B singer and songwriter from Pretoria
• While studying law at the University of the Witwatersrand, she self-released her debut EP Elements in September 2019
• The EP reached No. 1 on both the national iTunes and Apple Music album charts, making her the first independent female artist to do so.
• Elements was certified Platinum by RISA a year after its initial release and was nominated for Best R&B/Soul Album at the 26th South African Music Awards.
• Elaine was subsequently signed to Columbia Records in December 2020

 

 

BRUNO MARS

• Bruno Mars, byname of Peter Gene Hernandez, (born October 8, 1985, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.), American singer and songwriter who was known for both his catchy pop music
• He was the son of Pete (“Dr. Doo-Wop”) Hernandez, a Latin percussionist of Puerto Rican extraction from Brooklyn, and Bernadette Hernandez, a Filipino vocalist and hula dancer.
• He was nicknamed Bruno when he was a toddler and began entertaining in Honolulu at the age of four as an Elvis Presley impersonator with his parents’ band, the Love Notes.
• He taught himself to play piano, guitar, bass, and percussion. After graduating from high school, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a musician.
• In 2010 Mars released the four-song EP It’s Better if You Don’t Understand, followed five months later by the album Doo-Wops & Hooligans.The album made him a star and garnered him his first Grammy Award, for best male pop vocal performance (for “Just the Way You Are”).

 

 

DJ STOKIE

• DJ Stokie, real name Setoki Mbatha, started his career in the 90s from his room in Mzimhlophe.
• The self-taught music maestro is inspired by the likes of Soweto’s top DJs namely Mpopo, Fetsi, Ma-Leven, Mahlomola and Mdoo
• His success traces back to 2006 when he became a finalist of the Mad Half Hour, a feature on Joburg’s popular youth station, YFM.
• In 2019 he was chosen to be the Brand Advocate for the Carling Black Label Cup and performed for 90000 people at Soccer City also known as FNB Stadium.
• Stokie’s debut album, Amapiano Movement Volume 1 Mixed by DJ Stokie showcases a unique mix selection of vocal drum and tribal bass, which unearths a progressive Amapiano sound

 

 

ROD WAVE

• Rodarius Marcell Green (born August 27, 1999), known professionally as Rod Wave, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter.
• Rod rose to fame with the 2019 single “Heart on Ice”, which went viral on YouTube and TikTok and peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100
• Rod’s debut album, Ghetto Gospel (2019), peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard 200.
• His second album, Pray 4 Love (2020), peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200, and included the song “Rags2Riches”, which peaked at number 12 on the Hot 100.
• His third album, SoulFly (2021), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, marking his first chart-topping album.

 

 

THE CHAINSMOKERS

• The Chainsmokers are an American electronic DJ and production duo consisting of Alexander “Alex” Pall and Andrew “Drew” Taggart (with Matt McGuire on live shows).
• Pall and Taggart first made a name for themselves by creating remixes of their favourite indie bands that garnered tens of millions of streams.
• The duo released their official debut single, “#Selfie” in January 2014. The song hit number one on the Billboard dance chart and sold over ten million copies.
• “Don’t Let Me Down”, featuring American singer Daya, became their first top-five single on the Billboard chart and won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 59th award ceremony.
• Their single “Closer”, featuring American singer-songwriter Halsey, became their first number-one single on the Billboard chart. It remained in the top spot for over ten weeks, breaking the record previously held by Drake’s “One Dance.”

 

 

JORJA SMITH

• Jorja Smith (born 11 June 1997) is an English singer-songwriter from Walsall, West Midlands
• She was scouted by a manager at the age of 15 after uploading videos of herself singing cover songs on YouTube. Shortly after, she began travelling to London for writing sessions, while still in school
• Her debut studio album, “Lost & Found”, was released in 2018 to critical acclaim and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart
• In 2018, Smith won the Brit Critics’ Choice Awards. In 2019, she was named Best British Female Artist at the 2019 Brit Awards and was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist
• In early 2020, she began hosting a 12-part BBC Radio 3 show called ‘Tearjerker’, which focuses on the healing power of music. Smith released two singles during 2020; “By Any Means” and “Come Over” featuring Popcaan

 

 

SBX

• S B X is an R&B singer born in Pretoria East, Gauteng and was raised in Empangeni, Kwa-Zulu Natal.
• Her real name is Sibahle Xulu, and she has released her debut EP titled ‘These Songs Are About You’.
• The EP consists of 7 songs without any feature and it is executive produced by Sedi Santana, Karmakarmasutra and Sonnythemaker.
• ‘These Songs Are About You’ draws inspiration from the singer’s personal journey with love, heartbreak and lust.