One of my favourite universal love languages is acts of service and there is nothing I find more riddled with unconditional love than the act of rebellion with a cause. The bravery to love something or someone with such purity that you are willing to lay your life on the line to be able to create lifelong memories with them. There is no community that yields this undying love quite like the LGBQTIA+ community, in the face of social pressure for conformity, violent outcasting, historical erasure for their contribution to social progress and being stripped of fundamental human rights, queer folk have loved and lived despite the obstacles thrown at them. 

Similarly, we can also draw a correlation of love and resilience to black history. From colonisation, slavery, the Sharpeville Massacre, Soweto Uprising and everything in between there are countless examples of how the black body strived for the right to exist, build family, love freely and heal and one of our most spiritual anchors for navigating adversity is the chants, prayers, tears, fears, apologies and joy we embed in our music. We took on the responsibility to advocate, champion, protest and use our voices to build a society where acceptance and peaceful co-existence is a possibility. Though the road to acceptance is still marred by thorns, engagement, conversation, and continued legislative rallying continues to shape our collective history with considerable progress. You can imagine then, the weight of not only being a black body, but a queer body and still having to define love on your own terms and express it justly.

Embodying the relentlessness to shape discourse to the ever-evolving cluster of identities we can navigate life with is MOONGA K. – a singer, songwriter, activist, creative director, producer, poet, educator, black radical and sociologist. Defined as “an artist and activist from the future sent here to disrupt the status quo,” the Zambian-born, Botswana-raised, and South African-based artist actively rebels from being tied to genre because he believes in order to grow as a songwriter you need to be able to exist in different musical worlds. With a sonic and lyrical approach that is as fluid as his identity, MOONGA provides the soundtrack to our collective journeys of self-acceptance through his poignant lyricism, emotive melodies, textured interiority, and authentic social activism while speaking openly about toxic masculinity, racial injustice, love, community and mental well-being.

Thrusting himself a step closer to reclamation is his latest record, “OUTLAW”, – a collection of musical expressions carried by the campfire storytelling culture of Country music. From instruments like the Banjo, which is of West African origin, to Country music, which was historically created by black folk, “OUTLAW” represents the history and reclamation of the marginalised. From 19th-century cowboys who were labelled outlaws despite their contribution to American farming and industry to the under-represented rights of women, trans folk, queer folk and the mentally afflicted, the country-rooted but Funk, Soul, Hip-Hop, Opera, Folk, and Pop encompassing album champions resistance and being a trailblazer, in the face of social convention and being silenced.

Take the second single of the album, a sci-fi queer cowboy love story called “stole my heart”, for example. It was the first time as a queer man that MOONGA embedded pronouns into a song which, at some point, was unheard of in the conservative space of contemporary Country culture. Through the guise of inspiring discourse and fostering understanding and acceptance, MOONGA’s mission with the record is to pass the baton of representation and create a safe space for more young queer Black country artists to write similar stories in their music, expanding the layers of storytelling in Country music. 

For MOONGA K., the truth is a joy to listen to, and as a prolific songwriter, one of the most essential functions of his penmanship is to serve the community, something he is passionate about. “I’m adamant that we can’t do this life thing alone, whether we’re talking about work, industry, or our personal lives. When I listen back to the music I make, I’m reminded that musically, my intention was to help listeners heal and feel like they’re not alone through whatever challenges get thrown at them. For me, understanding that this is a gift—being able to write something that people can resonate with and sing with such passion—that’s everything.”

Honoured to document the critical point in his continued journey of becoming, I shared an intimate conversation getting to know him, reflecting on some of the standout songs from the album and his future plans. 

For our readers who may not be familiar with you, please introduce yourself. How did life growing up lead to your journey with music?

MOONGA K.: “My name is MOONGA K. I’m a singer, songwriter, social activist, creative director, producer, sociologist, black radical, and just a very all-around hot person. I’ve grown up all over the SADC region – born in Zambia, raised in Botswana, and moved to South Africa for university when I was 18 or 19.

Music has been part of my life since I was six years old, and I’ve been doing it professionally since I was nine. But it’s been far from a straight path. I went through significant mental health challenges, being diagnosed with depression and anxiety at 14. The struggle became so intense that I actually quit music at 17, just before graduating high school. I had plans to move to London to study investigative journalism, but life had other plans.

Instead, I ended up in Johannesburg studying criminology – which I failed in the first semester. I switched my majors to journalism and sociology, graduated summa cum laude from undergrad, and then completed my post-grad in social justice, also graduating summa cum laude.

When I moved to Johannesburg, I found my way back to music. I’ve been doing it full-time as a songwriter since 2020, and it’s been transformative. The journey has become not only about finding my voice as a solo artist but also about helping facilitate other artists’ journeys – helping them discover their sound and figure out who they want to be in the world as musicians and songwriters.

It’s been an interesting ebb and flow of ups and downs, loving and resenting this industry and finding ways to fit in as independently as possible. That independence has become crucial to maintaining my authenticity in this space.”

What I like about “hold on!” is how it’s an active rebellion from being in a low-vibration state. What did the songwriting process of that song help you overcome?

MOONGA K.: “This interesting thing happens with my songwriting process, especially when I’m writing for myself. My intention is always just to write a good song. It’s only later, when I listen back, that I realise, “Whoa, that was actually a really important thing to write, and I needed that right now.”

That’s exactly what happened with “hold on!” I wrote it from a place of wanting to encourage joy and hope. But when we approached the release, and I found myself listening to it constantly while mixing, I realised it had become something more profound. Yes, it’s a political song, but it also speaks to community—which I’m very passionate about. I’m adamant that we can’t do this life thing alone, whether we’re talking about work, industry, or our personal lives.

When I listen back now, I’m reminded that musically, I intend to help listeners heal and feel like they’re not alone through whatever challenges get thrown at them. For me, understanding that this is a gift—being able to write something that people can resonate with and sing with such passion—that’s everything.

I wrote “Hold On” from a place of complete joy and motivation, with the perspective that whatever we go through, whatever we see every day, as long as we’re holding on, we’re going to make it to the other side. And as long as we have the gift of breath in our lungs, we’re going to see the brighter side of tomorrow.”

Watch “hold on!” here

“one of those days” tackles the struggle of liberating yourself from trauma, ultimately seeking better for yourself. What do you think tethers us so much to identifying and bonding with our past Traumas?

MOONGA K.: “Wow, I think we’re constantly trying to find meaning in the traumas and trials and tribulations we go through. I write through them because I just want to make them make sense—for me and this journey of being alive. Like I said, it’s this constant ebb and flow of beauty and tragedy, joy and immense depression.

“one of those days” came from that space of depression where I was just trying to get through what I was going through at the time. Singing through the heavy as a healer. For folks who write through it, it releases tension within our hearts and minds. It’s like journaling, right? Many people feel a sense of relief when they just sit down, concentrate on whatever words come flowing, and then feel like they’ve let go of a bit of that pain and heartache.

Step by step, as you continue to pursue that, you’re moving towards a sense of healing. And you know what? Sometimes, you’re not moving towards healing, and that’s okay, too. I think that’s what the ethos of “One of Those Days” was about.

Sometimes we have beautiful days, and sometimes we have really bad days. That’s just how life goes. I hate saying that because I love understanding why life goes like that. But sometimes, man, it’s just one of those days.”

Thank you for joining us for this interview. Before you leave, let us know what’s next for MOONGA K. What does 2025 look like for you?

MOONGA K.: “I’m still hoping to tour—I’ve never toured, and that’s been my biggest dream. I want to go to the US and Europe to perform my music at festivals and on big stages. I mean, I’ve said this about the last record and the record before that, but I’m hoping to tour this record and explore and share the music I released before with newer audiences.

There are many collaborations with some great artists coming out after this project. I’ve been doing a lot of songwriting for beautiful, wonderful artists over the past year, and they will release that music in their own time. I plan to keep building my songwriting catalogue.

But ultimately, I really want to perform this music. I want to tour and go with my band to see the world. And visuals—visuals are dropping, but that’s just a teaser. Something is coming quite soon, just before the project drops. So y’all will get that.”

Pre-save/Stream “OUTLAW” here

Connect With MOONGA K.

X (formerly Twitter): @moongak_

Facebook: @moongak

Instagram: @moongak_

Tik Tok: @moongak_

YouTube: @moongak_

Creative Credits

Photography by @neobaepi

Art Direction by @pukkalish

Styling & Make-Up @thatgirlmotso

Visual Production by @discovrtvsa

Written by Cedric Dladla

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