The Afro-pop genre can also be labelled as contemporary African music, and with urban, electronic or dance flavours in the mix, the beats and the boogie of Afro-pop will make your feet tap (without you even noticing it.) According to Afro-pop sensation, Malaika, it is the biggest music genre in South Africa, as it caters for young and old across all racial and cultural borders.
Globetrotting Musicians
Bongani, and Tshedi comprise the group Malaika*, the best selling A
fro-pop group in South Africa. ‘Our big break came in 2004 when our self-titled debut album ‘Malaika’ reached 350 000 units sold and the demand for international shows started coming,’ says the band. Since then Malaika have been to London, Mauritius, Canada, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Ghana, the DRC, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Swaziland - which just proves that South Africa’s borders are meant to be broken by this globetrotting group of übertalented musicians. They will also be touring through Australia and Malawi, will be making their 8 th appearance in London.
Malaika’s music style is greatly influenced by church music - they all attended the same church. Bongani is a huge fan of R&B music, Jabu is more into kwaito and African music and Tshedi also loves African and international music - combined they bring the different elements that make their music so unique.
So the next time when you scan between radio stations in South Africa or across the globe, the chances of catching a Malaika tune are very good. ‘With more exposure we see our music growing internationally. We have a lot of tourists who have purchased Malaika's music,’ they say ‘they also correspond with us through our website – we receive messages of appreciation for our music, and demand for our performances overseas, lyrics for songs and queries regarding translations of the lyrics.’
Music Icons with Heart
For Malaika, the support from South Africans has been overwhelming. Their debut album flew of the shelves, and their follow-up albums Vuthelani and Sekunjalo (released in 2007) cemented their status as icons in the South African music scene. They are always in demand for live performances. ‘Sometimes we have to pinch ourselves to realise that this is real and we are not dreaming. That is why we find it necessary to plough back into the community. We are involved with a lot of charity initiatives, such as the 46664 concert, UNICEF performances, World Vision, We Are Capable Organisation, Miss Confidence, Lucas Radebe Benefit Concert and the Joint Aid Management,’ they explain.
World-wide Appeal
Another fantastic Afro-pop outfit is the band Mafikizolo. Their trademark kwela, marabi and Afro-pop combination has won them a lot of fans over the past 8 years. Their new album Six Mabone also features some elements of blues and swing, seasoning this genre with a lot of flavour and soul.
Then there is the very popular Freshlyground, who burst into the music scene in 2002, reaping the rewards of albums turned gold when they won the influential MTV Award for Best African Act in 2006. The members of this 7-piece Afro-pop outfit hail from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa, and their music is as appealing as the countries where they were born.
Afro-pop Invasion
In South Africa Afro-pop is featured at almost all festivals, such as the Peoples’ Heroes Concert in Moretele Park (December), the Divas Concert (April), Joy of Jazz, Old Mutual Encounters throughout the year, the North Sea Jazz Festival and the African Heritage Jazz Festival.
This is only the surface of the popular genre that comes from the belly of Africa – Afro-pop engulfs our continent’s culture, with its sole purpose to make Africa dance. So go on, put on your dancing shoes.
* Originally Maliaka comprised band members Bongani, Jabu and Tshedi. Jabulani (Jabu) Ndaba, passed away on 14 July 2008.
Afro-pop explained:
kwaito – according to South African lifestyle magazine, Rage, Kwaito is “a mixture of South African disco music, hip hop, R&B, Ragga, and a heavy, heavy dose of American and British house music.”
kwela - kwela music developed in Soweto during the 1940s and 1950s. It’s a rhythmical, repetitive popular music style in which the lead part is played by the penny whistle, and which was derived from marabi, tsaba-tsaba, and traditional southern African music.
marabi – Popular during the 1940’s, Marabi was the cultural interpretation of African music in an urban environment and played with western instruments. Its familiar rhythms made the whole of Africa dance to the chords of a keyboard.
© Photographs are courtesy and copyright of Beyond Destiny.
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