Platinum-selling artist Doja Cat hand-selected South African band ‘The Joy’ to headline alongside her during her Coachella performance. The Joy was not shy about representing a new approach to Zulu tradition that has sparked pride in their community. They accompanied her in harmony for a new take on her song “Acknowledge Me” for her deluxe album. They were met with thunderous applause after their extraordinary finale.
“We have made a lot of new friends in the last 24 hours! Welcome to The Joy everyone,” The Joy stated in an Instagram post.
After earning a first prize of $1300 in a municipality-wide singing contest, Pastor (Ntokozo Bright Magcaba), Duzie (Melokuhle Mkhungo), Guduza (Sphelele Hlophe), Sthombe (Phelelani Sithole) and Marcus (Sanele Ngcobo) who make up the five-piece group received invitations to Jennifer Hudson’s talk show as her new favorite group on her platform. Millions of streams later, they have created an entirely new, engaging form of modern music that upholds the traditions of Zulu.
Their new single, “You Complete Me,” was released in March 2024 to announce their upcoming self-titled album, which will be released on June 21st. The performance helped spread the buzz about their debut.
The Joy’s performance at Coachella was an unbeatable step in their journey to success, creating another immovable door to South African representation alongside the many others from earlier this year. From new categories in The Grammys to a constant flow of new artists from the region, South Africa has made it clear that it will be an undoubtable force within American media from now on.
