Freshlyground

Formed in Cape Town in 2002, Freshlyground originally brought together musicians from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe in a large group lineup featuring vocals, violin, flute, guitars, bass, drums and percussion. Freshlyground developed an afro-fusion sound blending afropop, folk, jazz, kwela and electronic touches, with songs sung in English, Xhosa, Zulu or French. The band first gained attention with "Jika Jika" in 2003, broadened its audience with "Nomvula" in 2004 and "Ma’ Cheri" in 2007, and followed with "Radio Africa" in 2010, "Take Me to the Dance" in 2012 and "The Legend" in 2013. Along the way, Freshlyground shared stages with artists such as Oliver Mtukudzi, Miriam Makeba, Femi Kuti and Stanley Clarke, performing at festivals across South Africa, Europe and Africa. In 2010 the group reached international visibility by collaborating with Shakira on "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)", the song associated with the football World Cup held in South Africa. Fronted for many years by singer Zolani Mahola, Freshlyground made a mark on the South African scene with collective, danceable and melodic songwriting, before taking a break and resuming activity in 2024.