Southern African Alt & Indie Playlist 2025

Southern Africa’s alternative music scene is but a microcosm of the expansive sound that the African continent contains. Experimentation is rife — artists aren’t afraid to go the extra mile, raise an extra finger, or invest their time and effort into making something unseen, unheard, and otherworldly. From jazz-inflected compositions in Johannesburg to the electronic reinventions of Lesotho and Eswatini, the scene reflects a pan-African impulse that values collaboration, history, and forward-looking innovation. 

Musicians cultivate communities, forge independent tour routes, sustain platforms, and forge connections that allow new voices to emerge. Within this landscape, figures like Amongst The People I Know, Morena Leraba, Vuyo Viwe, [kimetsu.], iYA, Overthrust, and Nasibo Mutize are refining and reconfiguring what Southern African alternative music can sound like today.

Amongst The People I Know

Thriving music scenes are sustained by dedicated individuals who quietly build the ecosystems that allow others to grow and participate. Composer and drummer Amongst The People I Know is one such figure – a multi-hyphenate deeply invested in the evolution of South Africa’s alternative music landscape. He is also part of the team behind The Weekly Touchup, a Johannesburg platform where a rotating cast of acts performs before an attentive audience every Wednesday. Though he has been active in music for over two decades, he only debuted his solo project in the past year. Performing as a quartet, he delivers a modern, vibrant, jazz-adjacent sound shaped by the hip-hop tradition and enriched by subtle electronic textures and an improvisational freedom that defines his approach to collaboration.

Morena Leraba 

Lesotho’s Morena Leraba has been active as a solo artist for just over a decade. Emerging from the country’s burgeoning hip-hop scene, he forged a distinct sonic and visual identity rooted in Lesotho’s famo tradition while drawing inspiration from global influences. His debut EP, Fela Sa Ha Mojela, found him exploring new soundscapes and landing on a refreshing blend of Sesotho folklore and lush electronic production. A remix project followed, featuring contributions from Spoek Mathambo and Kalahari Surfers. Over the years, he has collaborated with Damon Albarn’s Africa Express, Mokoomba, BLK JKS, and Onipa, and continues to tour extensively abroad.

Vuyo Viwe

Having made her solo debut in Johannesburg just a month ago, Vuyo Viwe’s path already feels divinely guided. She leaves nothing behind on stage, commanding audiences with ease and conviction. A vocalist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, she brings a fresh, urban edge to South African jazz — a sound constantly reinventing itself along the journey. Booked and busy, she’s set to perform at two major jazz festivals in the coming months: Kids Love Jazz and UManyano Lwe Jazz. Vuyo represents a bold new generation of artists imprinting their innovative spirit not only on jazz, but on the broader soundscape of a pan-African future.

[kimetsu.]

A DJ and producer, [kimetsu.] approaches sound as ritual: expansive, meditative, and meticulously conceived. An innovator, he’s known for his vibrant edits and his signature style, drywall — percussive, droned-out, and uncannily suited for vocal interventions. On I DON’T WANT TO FALL IN LOVE AGAIN COS I GOTTA BE VULNERABLE & SHHHT — I DON’T REALLY FCUK WITH THAT, he assembles a formidable roster of collaborators, from Enocs Mae to keyywav, Chipego, LOOYUNDAH, and more, to conjure metaphysical incantations disguised as lyrics and vocal flourishes that could easily soundtrack Judgment Day. Across eight tracks, the project cements his place among the most thrilling new voices to rise from South Africa’s storied beat scene.

iYA 

On I Feel Deeply, Eswatini’s iYA bares her heart with remarkable intent. Her voice carries the weight of generations – restorative in its tenderness, and luminous in its hope. With fellow countryman Manana on production, she threads her personality through ten songs about love and heartbreak, crafting music for those who feel deeply and see beyond their immediate realities; those who imagine a better humanity for the future. Following her 2022 debut, Straight Up, which introduced her to an audience that is still growing, I Feel Deeply signals bold strides from the musician. It’s proof that she’s in full swing and has even greater horizons ahead. 

Overthrust 

Botswana’s Overthrust channel death metal’s primal force with precision and conviction. On “Suicide Torment,” the title track from their 2019 album, vocalist and bassist Vulture Thrust delivers a battle cry that sets the tone — “You killed our brother,” he roars, his voice cutting through a wall of guitars, bass, and an assault of double-kick drums. Their sound is raw yet disciplined, forged from the lineage of classic metal — think Metallica meets Cannibal Corpse meets Sepultura — but stamped with their own ferocity. There are no half-measures in their world, only devotion, defiance, and the fiery spirit that continues to define Botswana’s heavy metal underground. 

Nasibo Mutize

On the 2025 EP Stop Over, a collaboration with French guitarist Raphaël Joly, Zimbabwean artist Nasibo Mutize fuses the intricate rhythms of the mbira with shimmering guitar textures, creating a sound rooted in the traditions of past influences – from Stella Chiweshe to Chiwoniso Maraire. The EP unfolds like a conversation across continents, honoring Zimbabwean heritage while subsequently opening pathways to a global dialogue about the shifting times. She is an artist attuned to history yet unafraid to chart new sonic terrain, and is a compelling presence in Zimbabwe’s evolving alternative music scene.

Sonder The Africanime

Sonder The Africanime’s voice carries weight, and is a liquid force that reaches every part of your being. It’s a meditation on life, belonging, identity, and all the -isms that shape this collective experience of being alive. “Feelings,” released in April last year, has become her most recognizable song to date, but that’s not the only sharp knife in her artillery. On her latest EP, Incline, is a potent, intricate five-track journey of expansive intuition and vivid interplay – she constructs universes using only voice and guitar, for the most part. It is folk music unfiltered, delivered with a stillness that defies conventional time, choosing its own modes of expression. This is spirit distilled, resilient, and impervious to the passing seasons.