Sukulani Mwachumu AKA Janta Jacxy on the beat who is also the producer focuses in uplifting Malawian urban music.

Founded in 2006 with an aim of helping upcoming artists, SU Records derives from Sungununu, a crew that works with Janta in music production.

In the meantime, a few other studios including the renowned SU Records encompass various kinds of music genres. But as the age of specialization dawned, many studios limited their scope. SU Records, on the other hand, still provides music in dancehall, Hip-Hop, R&B and any type of music genre.

The founder of the studio, Janta is an artist who has a positive attitude towards the talent that young people have. Janta was born in October 1989.

A singer and songwriter, songbird Tribute ‘Birdie’ Mboweni was born and raised in Mkhuhlu, Mpumalanga. Having serenaded audiences in Qatar and Dubai playing with a jazz band featuring one of South African’s great jazz pianists, Sylvester Mazinyane, performing at COP17 national awareness events, as well as performing at the Earth Fest in Zambia, the petite singer is working diligently to carve a path that ensures that she too, has a place in the music industry.

Locally, she has showcased at some of the hottest stages such as the Victory Theatre, Silverstar Casino, Niki’s Oasis in Newtown, Winnie’s Jazz Club in Sandton, as well as the Rendezvous stage at the South African State Theatre as part of the Jazz and African Music Nights. After successfully delivering a stellar performance at the South African State Theatre on April 25, Tribute went on to dazzle music lovers in a 2-hour long showcase presented by Yfm 99.2’s Live N ReYired series on the 12th of May, which she followed up with a performance at Johannesburg’s number one live music showcase platform, Up & Coming on the 28th of May. She went on to give 5 stellar performances at the 2014 Grahamstown National Arts Festival, receiving a great review for her soulful offering of her own music and music that celebrates South African legends. She recently gave another stellar performance, opening for The Soil on the last leg of their nation-wide Reflections Tour at the Lyric Theater.

Tribute has made strides having come first place at the Born To Be Famous Academy’s Born To Sing Showcase, judged by lead talent scout and Native Rhythms Productions Founder Sipho Sithole and Mandisa Bardill-Kwebulana, Executive Producer at Imbumba Stage Productions. She has also participated in a couple of historical musical productions having featured in one of the two Radio 2000 Nelson Mandela celebratory songs, All About Love, as well as the International Organisation of Migrations’ I Am a Migrant Too campaign song and video.

A Boundless Southern Africa Ambassador, off the stage she is an Environment and Conservation Ambassador, working committedly and tirelessly making a difference across the country through Projekt 23 – The Green Movement, a community and schools-based environmental education, treeplanting and social upliftment non-profit organisation she co-founded in March 2009.

BeatHaven provides a unique musical entertainment experience by juxtaposing the repetitive characteristic of looping with the spontaneity of improvisation, creating soundscapes and lengthy live electronic compositions, fusing genres such as house/hip-hop with jazz and classical improvisations, often with soulful and refined lyrics. He is currently based out of Harrisonburg, Va. where he is expanding his fan base outwards and working on branding and a recording a debut studio album.

Shubert Mwarabu has years of experience in the wildlife conservation sector. Currently, Shubert is Conservation Advocacy Manager to the Southern Tanzania Elephant Program, leading a countrywide campaign to save Tanzania’s Elephants. Shubert is also a musician who sings to raise awareness on wildlife conservation and climate change issues.Shubert is the Elephant Ambassador to the African Elephant Coalition and a core member of the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos. He hopes to run youth advocacy organizations to motivate more local people to employ conservation. Upon completion of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Shubert plans to continue his work to advocate for wildlife conservation.

Pretoria, South Africa

Sereetsi & the Natives, a refreshing definitive reference in the contemporisation of folk music in Botswana and a unique voice in the World Music arena. The act’s strong songwriting and performance in its debut album, Four String Confessions (May 2015), presents a fearless sound that blends traditional Botswana rhythms with Western influences, all built around the signature sound and tradition of the four string folk guitar.

The album has yielded a number of radio staples in Robete, Thaa Kokome, Ngwana’Ngu Wa Enda and Ke Boletsa Mongwe. Sereetsi & the Natives employs master storytelling and poetic lyricism to offer social commentary on topical issues in contemporary Botswana and much of the developing world, sometimes as controversial as homosexuality, or as universal as love and conflict.

Chuma Mgcoyi is a talented permaculture specialist and singer living in Cape Town, South Africa. She sings in her mother tongue, Xhosa, as well as English. Her gentle voice soars with emotion and her kindness touches every heart in the room!

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania