FOCALISTIC & CH’CCO RELEASE ‘BASED ON A TRUE STORY’

Sep 12, 2025 | New Release, Music

South African Amapiano legends Focalistic and Ch’cco join forces on ‘BASED ON A TRUE STORY’, a collaborative album that reimagines what the genre can be. It’s a cultural statement: bold, futuristic, and rooted in Pretoria’s energy. Each track draws from experiences, while pushing the sonic boundaries of where Amapiano is headed in 2025 and beyond.

The project opens with a focus track, “Beyoncé Baby” featuring Sims Noreng; a dazzling anthem built for global dance floors, yet steeped in township swagger, it’s the kind of record that redefines Amapiano’s cool for a new generation.

Momentum builds with “Sports Mode” featuring Mellow & Sleazy, then comes “Duku Duku” with Vigro Deep, a deep percussive ode that honors Amapiano’s roots while pushing it into experimental territory. Midway through the journey, “Haena Wrongo” arrives as a bold statement of self — a refusal to apologize for authenticity.

Anchoring the project is “Basela”, the previously released single with Ch’cco that’s already ignited excitement. On Spotify alone, the track is nearing 500,000 streams and has earned spots on flagship playlists, cementing it as a fan-favourite and a powerful bridge between past momentum and future ambitions.

Together, Focalistic and Ch’cco are building a movement with BASED ON A TRUE STORY: it’s a raw, electrifying journey that captures the spirit, energy, and evolution of South African music. From Pretoria to the world, this is Amapiano’s next chapter.

Listen to B.O.A.T.S here

Press release courtesy of Warner Music

DON TOLIVER SHARES HIS NEW SINGLE ‘TIRAMISU’

Sep 12, 2025 | New Release, Music

Don Toliver has shared his new single ‘Tiramisu’, a smooth, genre-blending track produced by Cardo Got Wings that showcases the Houston native’s signature sound. 

It closely follows the release of “FWU,” a bass-heavy Mustard-produced single which arrived alongside a music video directed by HYBRID. In April, Toliver also collaborated with Doja Cat on “Lose My Mind,” the lead single from F1 The Album, the official soundtrack to the Formula 1 feature film. The song continues Toliver’s growing influence in film and pop culture, following previous contributions to the Fast & Furious and Sinners franchises.

2024 saw the release of his chart-topping album, ‘HARDSTONE PSYCHO’, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart and marked his fourth consecutive Top 10 debut on the Billboard 200. 

With over 37 million monthly Spotify listeners and billions of global streams, Don Toliver remains at the forefront of genre-defying artistry. His hit singles, including “No Idea,” “After Party,” “Lemonade,” “Private Landing,” and “No Pole,” have helped shape the sound of a generation. Beyond the music, Toliver launched an immersive Fortnite experience in support of HARDSTONE PSYCHO and headlined a sold-out arena tour. 

Don Toliver Photographed by Raf Porter

Listen to ‘Tiramisu’ here

Press release courtesy of Warner Music Africa

Levi’s® 501® Curve: A Fit for All Women, All Icons

Sep 10, 2025 | Fashion, Community

For generations, Levi’s® jeans have stood as a symbol of self-expression, authenticity and cultural relevance. Worn by legends, rockstars, popstars, icons and everyday people, the Levi’s® 501® continue to keep up with the times. Now, with the launch of the 501® Curve, Levi’s® has taken their most iconic fit and made it even more inclusive, ushering in a new era of denim for a more diverse range of body shapes.

Officially launched in South Africa on 8 August 2025, the 501® Curve is crafted with a more contoured hip-to-waist ratio to eliminate waist gaping—(an issue many of us know all too well, right?)—the new fit offers extra room in the seat and thigh without compromising on the original high rise, button fly, or straight-leg legacy design. It’s everything you adore about a 501®, but with an evolved design. 

As Jill Guenza, VP of Women’s Apparel Design at Levi’s explains “It’s a truly authentic 501 jean imbued with Levi’s DNA, but for a curvy body that might not have been able to find the right fit with our other 501 fits.”. 

The South African debut of the 501® Curve was a celebration of identity, representation, and personal style. The brand hosted an intimate brunch where fashion voices, influencers, and creators gathered for a first look at the Curve. The day culminated in a high-energy evening event at the Levi’s® V&A Waterfront store, where the space was relaunched in style and our very own local icon, actor and activist Nomzamo Mbatha introduced an exclusive colourway of the silhouette.

All imagery courtesy of Levi’s

For Nomzamo, she reflected that the campaign is “personal”. From her university days as a Levi’s promoter to becoming the official ambassador for the Curvy range, her journey is a full-circle moment of empowerment and visibility. “The 501 Curve makes sense for our women who want to celebrate their curves,” says Mbatha. “To be the face of not only the Curvy range but also the 501 Curve locally is a huge honour.”

Levi’s has long been a staple for global culture and celebrating iconic women; we’re so happy to see our local star, Nomzamo, lead this campaign as one of their proud ambassadors alongside a list of extraordinary women that the global brand has partnered with in the past; from Queen Bey to Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone, to Jane Birkin. We speak on behalf of many women when we say Levi’s are made to  represent our individual creativity, style, comfort and of course, curves. 

Now, with Nomzamo fronting the movement on home turf, the brand’s message is clear: denim belongs to every woman and every icon. As South African women increasingly demand fashion that fits them, the 501® Curve comes at the best time. 

The Levi’s® 501® Curve is now available in-store and online nationwide. 

All imagery courtesy of Levi’s

About the Levi’s® brand:

The Levi’s® brand epitomizes classic American style and effortless cool. Since their invention by Levi Strauss & Co. in 1873, Levi’s® jeans have become one of the most recognizable garments of clothing in the world—capturing the imagination and loyalty of people for generations. Today, the Levi’s® brand portfolio continues to evolve through a relentless pioneering and innovative spirit that is unparalleled in the apparel industry. Our range of leading jeanswear and accessories are available in more than 110 countries, allowing individuals around the world to express their personal style. 

Learn more about Levi’s® brand, its products and stores via their website https://www.levi.co.za/ 

Follow Nomzamo Mbatha on Instagram here

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

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Of Silver Linings and Gracious Saturday Mornings: Embracing The Present With SAMA-Award Winning Singer & Songwriter Majozi

Sep 10, 2025 | Interviews, Music

Lately, my meditations on life have grounded me in one central concept: gratitude. As a ’90s baby, I can proudly attest to a time when Saturdays were the most valuable day of the week. Before the golden era of Cartoon Network, Disney and Nickelodeon, the SABC was the renaissance benchmark of entertainment. The gift of Yo-TV, The Amazing Spiderman, Batman: The Bold and The Brave, The X-Men, and Justice League would ensure that no matter how late you slept the previous night, your body clock would wake you up bright and early for your date with your favourite cartoon and cereal. This nostalgic thinking, inspired by “Time Traveller,” the song that hoisted me into the world of SAMA-Award nominated Nhlanhla Majozi, affectionately known as Majozi, made me realise a few things.  Perhaps, what was more important than diving like the WWE Hardys into the Alexander pool on a summer’s day in Pietermaritzburg – was the road trip with home-fried chicken that got you there. 

Born and raised in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, Majozi seamlessly meanders through Indie Folk and Pop to colour the warmth, vigour, melancholy and arresting purity woven into how we relive those unforgettable moments for life. A song like “Darling – Pt. 2” lingered by the quote “you’re the north star of my sky” reminds you of that friend you had in grade 2, whose gift of an apple broke your loose tooth and she rushed you to the infirmary. While contrasting cuts such as “Our Last Goodbye” walks barefoot through the thorny jungle of grief, carving itself as a rainbow after an unforgiving storm. As a breathing testament of faith, community and anointed intentionality, the church had a fundamental role in crystallising his character. Pristine pruning of his unconventional approach to spreading the gospel through psalm, instrumentation, and vibrancy draws you closer to the divine. 

Our conversation accentuated music’s power to mould meaning. With a prestigiously empathetic discography hosting prolific bodies of work, namely: “Marvellous Light,” “Mountains,” “Majozi,” the best adult contemporary SAMA nominee “Fire,” and most recently “A Great Exchange,” the distinguishing element that emanates as a runaway success career lies in consideration for the art form. Divulging the cinematic poise of his songwriting, Majozi shares: “The best songs I’ve written stem from something beyond conscious effort. They don’t flow from a deliberate writing decision but from an indescribable source that moves through you. It’s as if these songs are floating in non-existence, and I’m fortunate enough to pluck them and bring them into being. The sanctity of the creative process is found through being open, tender, and not constantly worrying about what people think.” 

Humbled by our exchange of affirmations, catharsis, anecdotes and remembrance, I cherish the beauty of conversing about his origins, “Time Traveller,” “Afterglow”, and embracing every moment of his European tour. 

 

All imagery courtesy of Majozi

For our readers who may not be familiar with you. Please introduce yourself and share more about your creative path. How was life growing up, leading to your journey with music?

Majozi: “My name is Majozi, and I’m a singer and songwriter. Growing up in Durban, my love for music was planted at a tender age. Whether singing in the choir during primary school or that pivotal moment at 13 when I first picked up a guitar, the flame that ignited my passion for music has been insatiable ever since.

I didn’t realise it then, but I was beginning to understand the fundamentals of songwriting, how to create chords, melodies, and structure. I was a counterculture figure among my peers, who were mostly into sports. While briefly enjoying skateboarding with friends, I found myself drawn back to music, spending countless hours singing to myself in my bedroom.

Church became the cornerstone of my musical evolution. During my formative years, I grew comfortable performing in front of audiences as part of a worship team led by my friends’ parents. As I entered adulthood, I worked as a bank teller for five years. I wasn’t sure what direction my life would take, and I needed to support my mother at the time. Despite the uncertainty, I remained passionate about music, continuing to perform at open mic nights. Eventually, I left the bank, returned to work at the church, and recorded my debut EP, ‘Marvellous Light.’ That EP performed well and caught the attention of record labels.

When I started, I never imagined music could become a viable career. Growing up, the arts weren’t seen as something you could make a living from. We used to think, ‘Maybe in Johannesburg you could do that, but in Durban it’s unheard of.’ I always assumed music would remain a hobby. However, through friendships with bands like Gangs of Ballet, who started getting radio play, and mentorship from artists like Ard Matthews, a world I previously thought was inaccessible suddenly became within reach. The rise of online platforms and streaming culture allowed me to showcase my capabilities, which catalysed my career to truly take form and evolve.”

My favourite song, “Time Traveller” from “A Great Exchange”, has a quote I am drawn to: “I shut my eyes, don’t want the story to stop/even if it’s something I made up.” Do you find comfort or distress in being able to immortalise a muse or memory in the various mediums of storyform?

Majozi: “With ‘Time Traveller,’ I co-wrote it with an artist called Amy Lilley. She wrote that particular line, and when we unpacked it together, she broke apart the feeling of loss beautifully.

Here’s where it gets interesting: The more I write, the more I realise that whatever intention I have behind a lyric isn’t necessarily the intention people will take from it. Whatever God instils in me, my job is to create and express those inspirations. I have my own views, paths, and sources of inspiration – like how my lovely wife impacts my music, but the song ultimately becomes something bigger.

There’s a song I’m about to release soon that perfectly illustrates this. When I was writing it, I thought it was about my wife, her character, her inclusiveness, and that’s the perspective I wrote from. After I finished the song, I met a lady from an organisation I work with. Sadly, her husband has been battling cancer for four years, and they could lose him at any time. Every time he goes into remission and feels better, the family immediately makes the most of that moment; they’ll go on holiday, create memories. When I thought about their relationship, I realised this song goes far beyond being about my wife. It’s about this couple, too, and I understood that people will take the song and apply it to their own scenarios.

This realisation even puts me in a conflicted place about the artwork. I don’t want to put a specific picture in people’s minds; I want them to take ownership of the song. I even told my PR agent, ‘I’d rather you write what you think the song is about and leave it as open-ended as you can, because I don’t want to filter anything into people’s minds.’

Ultimately, I see myself as a vessel who writes, records, and distributes the song. Once it’s out there, it’s more yours than mine. You get to take it and make it unique wherever you are in your journey.”

 

“Afterglow” strikes a chord in how I define my 30s “I’d like to know/if somewhere in the afterglow/we’ll find our dreams” fuels what love can be after loss. In the valleys before dreams materialise, how does companionship strengthen your faith?

Majozi: “Right at the beginning, when my life started changing, I was working at the bank and experiencing intense depression. My mom was sick at the time, and it was a difficult period. When I joined the church, I eventually worked with them, and they showed me so much unconditional love. They saw my potential and spoke life into me in desperately needed ways.

Eventually, I quit working at the bank and went to UKZN to study Jazz and Popular Music. That encouragement from the church community was pivotal because after I left my job and began working closely with them, my faith in God reached an all-time high. I had never been happier in my life. I didn’t stay in that uncertain space for long after resigning. I set my heart on pursuing something I truly loved.

Then my mom passed away, which was undoubtedly the worst thing that ever happened to me. Moments like those make you wrestle with God’s will, because even in the darkest time of my life, there was still so much joy present. About a year after her passing, I started travelling and doing music, recording my first EP. I would find myself reckoning with joy again, seeing what God continued to do for me because I was surrounded by so much care and faith.

That’s why, when people around us experience loss, my wife and I try to do small things for them. It’s so important to have people around you who love you during those times.

In that way, companionship becomes layered, beyond just an intimate relationship between two people. The companionship I experienced through community and the blessing of growth beyond trauma have been invaluable. At the same time, having someone to come home to is a beautiful feeling. It grounds you and reminds you what’s truly important. You know where you might fail in other areas of life, but companionship is where you can’t afford to take chances.”

Congratulations on your European tour kicking off on the 30th of August. Between the performances, rehearsals, studio camps, and strange food at odd hours akin to tour life, what are you looking forward to most in Europe? 

Majozi: “This tour is special for me because it’s my first time doing a full European tour. I’ve played in London and Amsterdam several times, but I’ve never been to places like Germany or Ireland. It will be a lot of firsts for me, my first time in these countries, and my first time experiencing different cultures and cities, and that’s really exciting.

The older I get, the more I’m learning to appreciate what I’m doing while I’m doing it. When I was younger, I’d constantly move from one thing to the next because I was still learning as I went along. My expectations differed, and I was already worrying about what’s next before finishing my task. Since I did my first London show last year, I have decided, ‘You know what? I’m just going to enjoy this for what it is.’

I come from a background where my mom and siblings on my mom’s side didn’t have the opportunity to travel outside the country, so I have the privilege of being able to do music and travel. Lately, I’ve been putting pressure on myself to maximise these tours. Usually, when I go overseas, I’d wrap up meetings with labels, streaming platforms, agencies, all these different things. It creates a lot of pressure. You’re meeting people you’ve never met before, trying to impress them because you hope they’ll like you enough to work with you in the future. You’re meeting writers, trying to write different songs, all these expectations.

But lately I’ve been thinking, ‘You know what? I’m not going to stress about it.’ I’ve got nothing to prove anymore. I’m going to meet these people without trying to impress them. We’ll chat, and even if we don’t talk about music and art, that’s fine by me. I just want to meet people and learn from them. I want to learn from the cities I’m in.

I want to take myself out of my comfort zone, try new foods, and live in the moment without taking things for granted. Of course, the hustle is in our nature, but I want moments where I take a day off and do something I can’t do back home. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Thank you for joining us for this interview. Before you leave, please share some of your future plans. What’s next for Majozi?

Majozi: “Beyond the tour, I have a new single that I feel will do well – I believe in it immensely. Hopefully, we’ll release an EP later this year or next. We’re also planning our Australia and New Zealand tour next year, which I’m excited about.

I’d love to end with a message for all creatives: your job is simply to create. You can’t let anything stop you from creating. If that’s what God has put in your heart to do, then that’s what you’re supposed to do. The other stuff, the business side, the reception, that’s all out of your control, and you can’t worry too much about it.

Yes, it’s essential to tend to the commerce and consider public perception, but we all sometimes stop ourselves from pursuing our calling because we’re worried about external factors we cannot control. So never stop creating. The fear of failure is daunting, but consider this: once you have created something, you’ve already succeeded. That feeling of completing a creation alone is the pinnacle of success in its purest form. That should be your priority. Everything else is secondary.”

 

Connect With Majozi

X (formerly Twitter): @NhlanhlaMajozi

Instagram: @majozimusic

Facebook: @majozimusic

Tik Tok: @majozimusic

YouTube: @majozi

Website: majozimusic.com 

 

Tour Dates: Majozi & Easy Freak

30/08: Jena (Germany) – Majozi Only

02/09: Berlin (Germany) 

09/09: Dublin (Ireland)

11/09: London (United Kingdom)

12/09: Bloemendaal (Netherlands)

13/09: Bloemendaal (Netherlands)

 

Written by Cedric Dladla

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

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Boredom as Vital State for Creativity: Why being Bored Is Essential For Our Brains

Sep 9, 2025 | Lifestyle, Community

Ten years ago, I did a crazy thing; armed with the hubris of youth, I marched myself off to a ten-day Vipassana retreat; no questions asked, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. To be fair, I was in a desperately seeking place of my life; still, Vipassana is a meditation practice dating back over 2,500 years to the teachings of the Buddha, and the silent retreats that take place around the world brim with a schedule that is uncompromisingly rigorous; ten hours of silent meditation a day, punctuated only by short breaks and minimal instruction, with strict rules against talking, eye contact, or any form of distraction. 

You can’t take your phone, a book, or even a notebook and pen; it is literally as close to detaching from all external output that one might find, barring self-isolation in a cave (let’s leave that to the Tibetan masters). Ten years on, and I’m shocked that I did it — and as selectively instructive as memory is I don’t remember truly getting knotted in suffering or boredom. At least, that’s what I like to remember. As I’ve grown up, and as technology has become increasingly invasive and omnipresent, Vipassana feels like an inaccessible concept; how the hell could I ever do such a thing? Now, I fear few things more than the vanishing spaces of true mental stillness, or my capacity to allow my psyche to regenerate. As my friend and performance artist Louise Westerhout says, our visceral reaction to being bored, “is our attachment to consuming the moment.”

Boredom used to be everywhere; in the stretch of breaktime, the shuffle of school corridors, the long commute in the car on the way to work, the wait on the corner for a friend to meet you; boredom was only ever that liminal pause, and now it is one of our most feared states of being. So, it’s of course an incredible irony of our time that at the very peak of overstimulation and distraction, boredom is now being understood as nourishment for our brains. 

The lull of time, expertly paved over with scrolling, swiping, and a constant stream of noise — serves as a refusal of the necessary inner communication with ourselves. Personally, I can track the very moment I started to slowly become almost somatically and psychologically at odds with boredom to the advent of Facebook and Tumblr in my early teens, when I would come home and spend hours digitally collaging the stretched-out semblance of a self still forming.

Boredom has been systematically commodified; a pause in our attention offers up a ripe opportunity for capture, as algorithms detect even the slightest hint of inattention and respond with content engineered to pull us back in, turning what was once a natural space for reflection into a marketplace for our attention. As Drew Haller called in her recent CEC piece, ‘Killing Counterculture: How Algorithms and Big Tech Threaten Creative Diversity,’, constant digital distraction means our very creative instincts are at stake; “for our own sake, we must significantly reduce time spent on the apps, and reprioritise a commitment to the belief in art’s ability to move us. Because if the current media landscape only rewards speed and virality, then the best we can do is prioritise slowness and depth, assume intricacy and critique dominant ideology.”

Photography by Renzy Laurel, via Pexels

Photography by Cottonbro Studios, via Pexels

Boredom, as research is increasingly showing, is a crucial state for nurturing creativity and imagination. Psychologists at the Child Mind Institute highlight that when children experience boredom, they develop essential cognitive and emotional skills, including planning, persistence, and emotional regulation — provided they are given the space to act on it. Boredom nudges children toward unstructured, adult-free play, which has been linked to creative problem-solving but also to brain development, including enhanced neural connectivity and executive function.

These findings suggest that boredom is a cognitive opportunity that allows children to explore their inner worlds and test the limits of their imagination. Also, As psychologist Stephanie Lee says, sitting in boredom might have implications for broader life skills; “boredom might not be super distressing, but it’s not fun. Life requires us to manage our frustrations and regulate our emotions when things aren’t going our way, and boredom is a great way to teach that skill.”

In adults, boredom continues to play a vital role in mental flexibility and idea generation. Studies indicate that engaging in repetitive, monotonous tasks can prime the brain for divergent thinking; the kind of original, non-linear thinking that produces novel insights rather than recycled content. Boredom creates a low-arousal mental state, free from constant stimulation, in which we can make connections between memories, or tangents can unfold; basically, the mind can wander into unexpected territory, previously prevented by distraction from stimulation. In essence, boredom acts as “mental compost,” providing the fertile ground from which creative and original thoughts can sprout. Embracing boredom, therefore, might be essential for problem-solving throughout our lifetime – or as the girlies say, manifesting. 

Apart from the obvious marketing benefits of boredom’s bad rap, as Naomi Klein notes in her seminal work on the corporatisation of almost everything, No Logo, “Brands want you busy, distracted, constantly consuming,” what is it that makes an unimposed dialogue with our own minds so harrowing? Well, it’s a tale as old as thought itself: a rejection to what the Buddhists call the monkey mind – the restless, erratic, and incessantly chattering quality of consciousness, that at once unsettles us and drives much of our inner-life. 

Our thoughts, often irrational and chaotic, demand attention, and are pretty adept at stirring anxiety, doubt, or frustration when we attempt to simply inhabit them (it turns out, continuous questioning of our surroundings is an evolutionary survival mechanism). In a world geared to drown the self in noise, facing our internal wilderness can be raw and disorienting. 

The paradox of this tension point (as there often is in this reality) is that while our restless thoughts can feel unbearable when left unchecked, they are also the very engines of imagination, and a radical site of our own potential. Boredom forces us into what psychologists might call “default mode,” a state in which connections spark between seemingly unrelated ideas, and insight emerges from the tension of idleness. In resisting this inner chaos, we may gain temporary comfort, but we forfeit the deeper, and often transformative dialogue with ourselves that boredom uniquely demands.

So, how do we reclaim boredom? For me, it’s the daily task of walking my dog without any earphones, and a self-imposed ban on checking my phone unless for the time – but honestly, it can be anything you want. These are the kinds of practices we have discussed at length on CEC; in being distraction free, even just for a moment, as you wait for a friend at a restaurant and look around, rather than down at a screen, as essential to navigating the 21st century. Getting comfortable with boredom starts with noticing the spaces we habitually fill with noise and distraction, and deliberately leaving them unoccupied. Whether it is the wild rush of stepping outside your house without a device, or letting a routine task unfold without rushing to the next thing; these moments, though modest, create the conditions for thought to emerge organically; our half-baked ideas, dreams, and reflections that would otherwise be drowned in constant stimulation, emerge to tell us something, or even – to take action in realising them. 

Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once wrote, pretty grimly, that “Boredom is the root of all evil – the despairing refusal to be oneself.” How, he asked, can we ever hope to know who we truly are if our attention is always turned outward, perpetually captured by screens, feeds, and the demands of others? Boredom, in this sense, is a crucible for self-awareness; and what more terrifying beautiful thing is there to do than to confront our own minds and reckon with the patterns, impulses, and possibilities that make us who we are? 

Written by Holly Beaton

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

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SOMBR RELEASES DEBUT ALBUM ‘I BARELY KNOW HER’

Sep 5, 2025 | New Release, Music

Breakthrough artist sombr has released his highly anticipated album ‘I Barely Know Her’ via Warner Records. Continuing his rise, the 10-track debut features Billboard Hot 100 hits “back to friends,” “undressed” and “12 to 12,” each continuing to climb the charts including Top 40 Radio, Global and U.S. Spotify Charts, the UK Official Singles Chart, as well as Alternative Radio where he peaked at #1 faster than any new artist of the last decade, and Billboard Hot Rock Songs, officially knocking Hozier off the #1 spot after a year.

I Barely Know Her was written entirely by sombr and co-produced by the 20-year-old artist alongside esteemed, legendary producer Tony Berg (Phoebe Bridgers, The Replacements), and follows news of him making his award show debut at the MTV Video Music Awards, performing live from New York on September 7, where he is nominated for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Artist

Next month, sombr embarks on his sold-out North American tour, ahead of his sold-out European, UK, Australian and New Zealand tour dates for late 2025 and into 2026. 

A New York City-native raised on the Lower East Side, sombr—born Shane Boose—started making music in his bedroom while studying classical music as a student at the prestigious public school, LaGuardia High School. His breakout hit “Caroline” (2022) took the internet by storm, and he has since released a series of EPs and singles, climbing to over 400 million monthly streams across platforms. Now based in Los Angeles, sombr continues to explore young romance and heartbreak through his music—all of which is self-written and co-produced by the artist himself, and released via Warner Records.

Listen to ‘I Barely Know Her’ here

Connect with Sombr

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

INSTAGRAM

X

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

FACEBOOK

Press release courtesy of Warner Music

 

Yarni presents ‘Natural Light’, ‘The Romantic Ghost’ and ‘Neon Gods’

Sep 5, 2025 | New Release, Music

Independent UK producer and multi-instrumentalist Yarni presents a second trio of eclectic highlights from forthcoming album ‘Anemoia’ (out October 3rd).

The sampler opens with “Natural Light,” where Sheffield-based Franz Von’s rap verses and Jeff Darko’s soulful chorus merge with Brazilian cuica and jazz elements. “The Romantic Ghost” follows, featuring Plumm’s mesmerising vocals floating over landscapes bridging 70s singer-songwriter traditions with modern trip-hop textures. The collection culminates with “Neon Gods,” inspired by Paul Simon’s commentary on technology’s grip on society, featuring strings, trumpet, flute, and ethereal vocals.

 

This second trio delves deeper into “Anemoia’s” exploration of time and memory, showcasing Yarni’s talent for bringing together diverse collaborators while maintaining cohesive artistic vision-the result of something none could have achieved alone.

Central to “Anemoia’s” success was Yarni’s creation of an all-inclusive micro-community among collaborators. By fostering an environment free from the pressures of artists’ own projects, he encouraged fearless experimentation. “I wanted to create a space where everyone could explore without boundaries,” explains Yarni. “When artists feel completely supported, they push themselves further.”

Listen to the trio here

Press release courtesy of Only Good Stuff

Disko Cowboy releases ‘Give Ur Luv 2 Em’ With Brandon Markell Holmes

Sep 5, 2025 | New Release, Music

Disko Cowboy joins forces with vocalist Brandon Markell Holmes for ‘Give Ur Luv 2 Em’, a late-summer dancefloor weapon built for the club, including remix by toucan sounds boss, Robert PM.

Powered by pulsing bass, shimmering synths, and Holmes’ commanding, soulful vocal, the track is a celebration of rhythm, desire and connection. Equal parts emotional and explosive, it strikes a balance between underground energy and peak-time euphoria. Designed for DJs and dancers alike, this one’s meant to be felt loud, late, and all the way through.


Disko Cowboy has shared the stage with a range of country idols from Diplo to Girltalk, Orville Peck to A-Trak, Charley Crockett to Nikki Lane and Hank Wiliams Jr. to Jack Ingram, as well as produced events and collaborated with global brands such as Wrangler, Chanel, Tom Ford, Sundance Film Fest, SXSW and many more.

With his new solo album’Try’ just out on toucan sounds, Brandon Markell Holmes, a “slow-burning vocal-house juggernaut,” (Rolling Stone), is a formally-trained theatre actor and self-trained vocalist that works within themes of social observation and the symbiotic relationship between art and history.

Listen to ‘Give Ur Luv 2 Em’ here

Press Release courtesy of Only Good Stuff 

DJ Caiiro releases ‘ZAYA’ with Chaleee

Sep 5, 2025 | New Release, Music

Internationally acclaimed South African producer and DJ Caiiro makes a return with the release of his new single ‘ZAYA’, a collaboration with rising Dutch producer Chaleee. 

Blending Afro house rhythms with melodic European textures, “ZAYA” is a masterclass in cross-cultural synergy. Driven by hypnotic synths, emotive keys, and a commanding percussive core, the track balances raw energy with deep atmosphere, resulting in a sound that feels both global and timeless.

“This track is about synergy,” says Caiiro. “It captures two worlds coming together rhythm and harmony, African roots and European edge in a way that’s powerful but still soulful.”

The release marks an exciting new chapter in Caiiro’s journey, underscoring his mission to expand Afro house onto the global stage. As his first official single of 2025, “ZAYA” not only signals his evolving sound but also highlights the collaborative spirit that defines the genre’s international growth.

With gold and platinum plaques to his name, Caiiro is fast becoming one of South Africa’s most valuable musical exports. His breakout single “Fela” and acclaimed album Agora solidified his position, while “Ndisize” featuring Ami Faku dominated the music charts for four consecutive weeks.

Beyond chart success, Caiiro’s reputation has grown on the global stage, with performances spanning Miami, London, Paris, and Dubai. His spiritual yet modern take on Afro house has been pivotal in showcasing the creativity and power of South African music to international audiences.

Listen to “ZAYA” here

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Press release courtesy of Warner Music 

 

The Realities of Women’s Health in South Africa with Dr Katlego Selikane

Sep 4, 2025 | Interviews, Community

For much of modern medical history, women’s bodies have been treated as anomalies. Clinical trials overwhelmingly relied on male participants, with the male body serving as the “default template” for diagnosis, treatment, and drug development. The exclusion of women – often justified by fears of hormonal “complexity” or potential risks to fertility – has had long-term consequences, from higher rates of adverse drug reactions in women to the misdiagnosis of conditions such as heart disease. 

In South Africa, this legacy has compounded existing inequities; as women, we continue to face disproportionate barriers in accessing healthcare, while local research has historically been skewed towards infectious diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis, rather than the broad-spectrum uniqueness of our physiology. Although critical, this focus has often left gender-specific health needs underexplored, from endometriosis, PCOS and the unique ways non-communicable diseases manifest in women. 

While South African medical research is beginning to shift, the long shadow of exclusion still asserts both global and local understandings of women’s health. As August is Women’s Month, we felt it was imperative to shift our focus to women’s health, and we are very grateful to have had the opportunity to speak to Dr Katlego Selikane; a medical doctor, public health advocate and communicator. Dr K, as she’s affectionately known, sits at the intersection of medicine and culture; through her platforms Clueless Moms and the podcast Meet me in my Corner, she is a tireless advocate for women’s health, and for building a medically attuned, healthier South Africa at large.

Portrait courtesy of Dr Katlego Selikane

Image by Cliff Booth via Pexels

“I grew up in Pretoria, the Jacaranda city, and I sometimes miss the slower life there,” Dr K tells us of her early childhood. At just 13, a defining moment set her on the path to medicine: “A younger boy I took care of at school, as a prefect, suddenly passed away. He had woken up with a headache, vomited a few times, and died on the way to hospital. I remember researching symptoms on my mom’s computer and convincing myself it must have been a brain tumour. From that day on, I told myself; I want to go to other parts of Africa and teach people about brain tumours so that no one has to go through this again.” Timely healthcare can be the difference between life and death, and this experience crystallised Dr Katlego’s early sense of medicine as a calling with real social impact. 

By high school, Dr K’s dream had sharpened into a specific ambition; “I entered high school already knowing I wanted to become a neurosurgeon. I even wrote a letter to the late Dr Mokgokong, who separated the Siamese twins in South Africa, asking him to mentor me. He never responded, but from that point on I was really passionate about medicine.” This kind of determination speaks to the unique way in which healthcare in our South African context is a route to justice and representation, in a system long marked by inequity – and is often why a pathway to medicine is understood as a deep calling and commitment. 

“I always loved the arts – I wrote plays, even got a scholarship – but my mom encouraged me to study something science-related first,” Dr K shares, of the tension that she felt between creativity and science that would later inform her unique voice as a doctor who bridges clinical knowledge with culture and communication; “I ended up in a bridging course at Tuks, and from there I was chosen as one of only 20 students to enter the medical programme. That’s how I got into medicine. It really challenged me and it’s part of the reason I still struggle with an inner critic or imposter syndrome. The pressure to be perfect – because you literally have people’s lives in your hands – was hectic. I did it, and I graduated with four distinctions.” 

Dr K’s focus on women’s health grew organically, as the glare of the system’s inequities became apparent, alongside her own attunement to the feminine experience. “It wasn’t something specific in the curriculum that made me choose women’s health. I think I’ve always just found myself serving women; even when I was running a makeup artistry business during medical school, women would sit with me and open up about their lives. I realised how much women carry, and how much we need safe spaces to share.” This instinct to listen became personal during Dr K’s own pregnancy, which she describes as “one of the toughest things I’ve ever gone through.” She struggled with cervical insufficiency, or cervical incompetence—a condition whose very name, Dr K notes, carries an unfair implication of bodily failure. “It felt like my body had failed at its most basic task of protecting my child.”

The isolation Dr Katlego experienced was compounded by the lack of representation, saying that “during my pregnancy I felt completely isolated. I couldn’t find anyone who looked like me speaking about cervical insufficiency. The only stories I found were white women in the UK on YouTube. There was nothing to ease my anxiety.” It was this gap in knowledge and visibility that motivated Dr K to form a community, unique to South African women; “when I finally decided to share my story publicly, it grew into a movement called Clueless Moms. I realised that what really traumatises women is not knowing, and that when people have information, they can make informed decisions, they can advocate for themselves, and they can collaborate with their doctors.” Through Clueless Moms, Dr K has turned personal struggle into collective empowerment, highlighting how information, representation, and safe spaces are as crucial to women’s health as clinical expertise itself.

Image by Cliff Booth via Pexels

Portrait courtesy of Dr Katlego Selikane

Dr K approaches medicine with a firm belief in collaboration and patient agency, “I’ve always believed that the relationship between doctor and patient is collaborative. I’m not here to tell you what to do with your body – I’m here to guide you so that together we can make the best decisions for your health,” and that reproductive rights are central to this ethos, “the most unfortunate thing is that we’ve just been reduced to child bearers. When we make choices that empower us in different ways – choices that don’t include children – our rights are infringed upon. If I want the agency to prevent something that could possibly destroy my life, why is that taken away from me? I had support when I had my child, and still I struggled with my mental health, with anxiety, with juggling everything. How do we expect a girl of 17, 18, or even 21 to handle such an enormous task?” 

As Dr K points out, the rise of conservative attitudes around the world is felt and known here, despite the progressivism of our Constitution. Her words underline the obscuring reality, at odds with the very values that upon which our nation is envisioned; access to safe abortion care should be the bare minimum afforded to girls and women in South Africa, yet systemic and societal barriers too often prevent them from exercising this fundamental right.

Dr K describes how she has witnessed these barriers firsthand, reflecting that “Yes, termination of pregnancy is legal in our country, it’s enshrined in our Constitution – but in practice there are so many limitations. If there aren’t laws restricting us, then strategic barriers are created to take away our voice and our agency. I call it biological warfare against women. When you tell me I cannot do what I need to do medically for myself, that’s war on my body and my choices,” and recalls a particularly distressing case from her advocacy work; “We tried to help a 17-year-old girl in the Western Cape. She was well within the legal time frame, but we kept being sent from pillar to post: the nurse isn’t here, the ultra sound isn’t working, come back next week. Weeks kept passing until it was too late. She was forced to keep the pregnancy.” Cases like these illustrate how legal rights alone are insufficient without practical, accessible care – and how devastating for a young girl to be thrust into the role of motherhood due to systematic negligence. 

“If we’re stigmatising sexual behavior, especially in women, if we’re pushing purity culture in women, how does a young girl tell you that, ‘Hey, listen, I got assaulted, I got abused?’” Dr K asks, and emphasises that even when young women responsibly seek care, fear and misinformation dominate their experience; “We had a young girl come in who’d had like three TOPs (termination of pregnancy) or two TOPs this year. She’s afraid that she’s pregnant again, but she’s not pregnant again — it’s just the hormones that still have to go down. But the fact that she had that fear was telling me that she’s still engaging in sexual practices that are unprotected.” Dr Katlego’s work highlights the urgent need for safe and stigma-free reproductive healthcare, and as we know, women’s autonomy over their bodies is a matter of dignity and survival.

Dr K is clear about the persistent barriers young women face in accessing reproductive healthcare in South Africa. “I know why that could be happening. Two things could be happening: it’s either that she doesn’t feel that she has the agency to ask for protection, or she’s also of that notion that, ‘Oh, sex is better without protection.’” She explains that even when girls are encouraged to take care of themselves, the clinic environment often discourages them. “When you ask them to start taking care of themselves and to go to the clinic, they always come back and say, ‘Yeah, but you know, the nurses are not nice.’”

For Dr K, women-centred healthcare must be reflected at all levels of our medical institutions: “We’re not creating conducive spaces. The spaces that do exist should allow a young woman to come in there and feel safe and feel empowered enough to make a decision that can really help them out in their lives.” 

“When we look at South Africa, we’re looking at a lot of things. We’re looking at access. We still see women crossing the river to go to an antenatal clinic – that happened in 2024, if not 2023. I’m not talking about 1990-something. That happened now.” Even when women do have access, the quality of care is often poor, and beyond clinical care, cultural barriers remain; “We also have poor accessibility to information and education. And we have this whole purity culture that does sit in South Africa. We do have it. We really, really do.”

Dr K’s passion is transforming healthcare into a tool for self-determination; that it is inseparable from agency and leadership: understanding your body, your options, and your rights is the first step toward empowerment. “My ultimate intention is to really help people — not just women, actually people — make informed decisions about their health,” Dr K shares, “Medicine sits at the heart of what I do. It gives me legitimacy so it gets me into rooms. But once I’m in those rooms, I don’t take it for granted that I’m there. Once I get into that room, the biggest thing I always want to share or to help people understand is that we’re in this world together for a reason — to build something, but to also connect with ourselves quite deeply and to become leaders.”

For us at CEC, our deep, unyielding commitment to South Africa is centred in reimagining and celebrating potential – this is how we see our collective responsibility, and as Dr K shares this sentiment from the perspective of medicine, “The problems of South Africa are not problems that are supposed to limit us. In actual fact, they are opportunities. We need to get to a point where we start to see the potential of South Africa instead of seeing its past anymore. I want young people to rise up and start to take a stand, but also to take responsibility, for them to understand that education and literacy sits at the heart of everything.”

For Dr K, advocacy and policy are practical tools to turn these principles into tangible change, and her work is already making strides in bringing these conversations to the cultural centre of South African media. When women are supported; society is stronger, more resilient, and more just. Their perspectives shape communities and their wellbeing anchors collective growth. At CEC, we hold this as central to our vision: a South Africa in which the role of women’s role is foundational to the future we all share. 

Follow Dr Katlego’s work at Clueless Moms and Meet Me In The Corner With Dr K 

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Written by Holly Beaton

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