South Africa’s success under international spotlight is growing from strength to strength. Last week, we witnessed an even deeper musical tradition than pop music thrust into view; Zulu acapella, which under the auspices of South African vocal group, The Joy, took centre stage at Coachella in collaboration with Doja Cat.
Hand-selected by Doja Cat as her headlining guest, The Joy provided lead vocals alongside the American rapper on two of her tracks; recent single, ‘Acknowledge Me’ and ‘Shutcho’, the latter which was reimagined to incorporate lyrics in Zulu. Doja Cat, whose real name is Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini was born in California, USA – though she has South African heritage through her father, Dumisani Dlamini, famed ‘Sarafina!’ actor and producer. A collision of Mzansi-ism across continents and contexts; this performance not only brought South Africans to the stage, but Zulu as a lyrical language for global recognition.
The Joy are a five-piece vocal group that rely on no instrumental influence and purely their vocal abilities and harmonisation to shape their sound. With members – Pastor (Ntokozo Bright Magcaba), Duzie (Melokuhle Mkhungo), Guduza (Sphelele Hlophe), Sthombe (Phelelani Sithole) and Marcus (Sanele Ngcobo) – now internationally lauded for their transcendent vocal talent. The group shared on their IG, “it’s been so hard to keep this a secret! Tonight we performed with the amazing Doja Cat on Coachella main stage in front of 100 000 people. Thank you A mala, or rather Zandile.Thank you to the incredible team that made this moment happen. You made us feel very welcome! And thank you to everyone who reached out after watching the stream from all around the world.”
Drawing on the rich tradition of ‘isicathamiya’ and ‘mbube’ vocal techniques, the group’s music is informed by “Growing up in a part of South Africa, where the Zulu tradition of a cappella singing is central to the cultural identity of its people and Ladysmith Black Mambazo have been worshipped for decades – their Grammy-winning success an authentication of the fact that the magic of isicathamiya music isn’t restricted to the townships where it flourished – The Joy’s harmonies hark back to yet another vocal tradition. Mbube means ‘lion’, which gives some indication of the elemental power its practitioners summon when bursting into song. This seems to be the lineage into which lead vocalist Duzie seems to be tapping when he cuts loose from the intonations of his co-travellers, as if compelled to commune with the ancestral spirits whose music he invokes.”
We couldn’t be more proud of the strides and standards being set by South African musicians – onwards and upwards.
Listen to The Joy’s latest single ‘You Complete Me’ HERE
Instagram: @thejoyofficialmusic
Facebook: The Joy
Tik Tok: @thejoyofficialmusic
Spotify: The Joy
Press release information derived from Sheila Afari PR
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