The Best of 2023: Top 14 acts of the year
2023 has been a year filled with a mix of emotions. From losing iconic South African talent from AKA, Zahara, Costa Titch and authour Zinzi Mandela among many others, to seeing our very own flourish right here at home and abroad.
A lot can be said and written about. Here are our top 12 most memorable moments of 2023.
Twenty-one-year old singer/songwriter Tyla broke into the international market with her hit song Water that has taken the world by storm. Since then, the Joburger has been billed on amazing stages including her upcoming New Year’s Eve performance. She has also scored her first Billboard Hot 100 hit with her song Water – first solo song by a South African musician to appear on the chart since Hugh Masekela’s “Grazing in the Grass” in 1968 and has also toured with Chris Brown. A lot of great things are happening for the star. She has also been nominated for a Grammy under the Best African Music Performance.
Thuso Mbedu is another South African export worth shining a light on. The star celebrated being appointed the L’Oréal’s first Black brand ambassador for sub-Saharan Africa, launched a new skincare range with the brand, Glycolic Bright Instant Glowing Serum, joined the judging panel for the Miss South Africa 2023 and is currently co-writing a comic book book titled ‘NIOBE: She Tribe’. Another more recent nod to her achievements is joining an HBO criminal drama series starring Mark Ruffalo.
Musa Keys is another star making the right moves that make us proud. The star has been nominated for a Grammy Award – making him the the youngest male African Grammy nominee. Keys has been nominated under the Best African Music Performance for his collaboration on Davido’s song, ‘Unavailable’. The muso has also been booked and busy with a wide range of performances across the country, and has also bagged himself a Trace Award for Best Collaboration for Unavailable, Kudos to him.
Another moment not to be ignored is South African fashion icon Rich Mnisi partnering up with Adidas to create a Manchester United pride collection. He also collaborated with H&M to bring his gender-neutral line for everyday wear – continuing with flying the rainbow flag high.
Makhadzi’s name has easily become synonymous with success. The singer celebrated 23 million streams on Spotify – making her the most streamed South African female artist of 2023. She also walked away with a gong at the ninth annual African Entertainment Awards USA winning the Best Collaboration award for her song “MaGear” featuring Mr Brown. She was also announced as Spotify’s Equal Africa ambassador, walking away also with the Best Traditional Album at the South African Music Award (SAMAs)
2023 has certainly been a year of yes for Kamo Mphela. Her recent single ‘Dalie’ reaches 1.86 billion views on TikTok, and has also been featured on American rapper TI’s amapiano’s song #Vacay. The star has also ventured into the beauty space – partnering with makeup line Maybelline New York – now being the face of the global brand’s new “SuperStay Showdown” collection.
Khanyisa Jaceni made a powerful shift from being a Tiktoker to a full-blown musician – announced as Spotify’s Equal Africa ambassador and receiving two platinum plaques for her music. Khanyisa also got a nod from American singer Alicia Keys for her cover of Un-thinkable which she remixed in IsiXhosa. That collabo also brought about hints of a collaboration – something to look froward to. Khanyisa was also among Clash of The Choirs’ choir masters with her team being eliminated among the last few.
Not only has the year 2023 been a great career year for the iconic designer Laduma Ngxokolo but the creative team also welcomed his baby girl Qamata on 24/09/2023. He also made a grand mark for African designers by opening a store in New York City and also partnered with alcohol brand Tanqueray.
At this stage, who doesn’t know of Tyler ICU? Even Rihanna named his song Mnike as one of her two songs of the year. I mean….The 30-somethinhg year old received his first ever MTV EMA nomination and was also among the top local artists to be streamed on Spotify. The star traveled all over the world, being among the most booked and busy artists of the year.
Kabza de Small is proving to be a king of his craft. He, again, reigned supreme at the 29th South African Music Awards (SAMAs), winning awards for Best Duo/Group of the Year alongside DJ Maphorisa; Best Produced Album; Best Amapiano Album, and Best Kwaito Album. He was also announced as one of the producers to join Canadian superstar rapper Drake’s tour, ‘It’s All a Blur’. Not to mention him dominating the music scene – with chart topping songs – also being the most streamed artists on Spotify.
Uncle Waffles was among the winners of 2023, emerging victorious at 2023 GQ Men of the Year awards as the Woman of the Year alongside Desiree Ellis. In just two years since entering the industry, after a video of her dancing to Young Stunna’s Adiwele in 2021, she is also in the running for two nominations at the Grammys: the Best Global Music Album and Yahyuppiyah is being considered for Best African Music Performance. She has been the on the road traveling and performing on international stages like Coachella, sold out a show in New York, collaborated with KFC for her a burger named after her and also gotten a nod from international stars like Drake. A very busy and successful year for the star.
A national pride that we are all basking in, trio Zakes Bantwini, Wouter Kellerman and Nomcebo Zikode scooped a golden gramophone at the 65th annual Grammy Awards. The three emerged victorious for their joint song titled ‘Bayethe’, under the Best Global Music Performance category. The three didn’t stop there, but went on to make moves in their own rights, with Zakes Bantwini hosting his historic Abantu concert hat was a great success. Zikode also received the Forbes Women Africa Entertainer of the Year award. Reaching the 62nd year of his life is another great achievement for Kellerman.
