One of the hottest bands in South Africa at the moment is Afro-fusion band Freshlyground. Formed in 2002 with band members from South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, they have rapidly risen to fame with their blend of traditional South African music, blues, jazz and indie rock.
From their debut album release, Jika Jika, in 2003 they have established themselves as a fresh and energetic group whose concerts have rocked crowd around the world. Their hit Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) was performed alongside Colombian superstar Shakira and has put a mark on the world music scene after it was named as the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Following the success of their first album they have released 5 subsequent albums: Nomvula in 2004, Ma’ Cheri in 2007, Radio Africa in 2010, Take Me to the Dance in 2012 and, most recently in 2013, The Legend.
2004 saw them perform for then President Thabo Mbeki to celebrate ten years of democracy in South Africa, before playing at several festivals including the Harare International Festival of the Arts, the North Sea Jazz Festival and the Villa Celimontana Festival in Rome, Italy.
Since then the band has hardly had time to stop between recording new music in the studio and gigs at festivals, each time gaining new fans and being appreciated for their, roots driven sound. Along their journey, they have received nominations for several South African Music Awards, seeing them win the Album of the Year for Ma’ Cheri in 2007, amongst others. They also became the first South African act to receive the MTV Europe Music Award for Best African Act in 2006.
Follow Freshlyground:
http://freshlyground.com/
https://twitter.com/freshlygroundsa
