It was a case of dress déjà vu when I spotted reality TV star Yolanda Mukondi on Thursday evening. Her pale gold dress — complete with a striking butterfly cut-out — looked all too familiar.
“You know I have seen someone else wearing that dress,” I tell the starlet, who recently rubbed shoulders with American rapper Rick Ross in Cape Town.
“I know! I love her!” giggled Yolanda about the reference to Thembi Seete, who had donned the same Otiz Seflo cocktail number to the SA Style Awards a year ago.
We were chatting on the red carpet rolled out in front of Okio, the swanky Sandton nightclub, at the get-together to toast the South African nominees for next month’s Trace Awards, which will be held on the lush East African island of Zanzibar.
These awards put the spotlight on music from across the continent and the diaspora, encompassing genres including afrobeat and amapiano, kizomba, zouk and rumba.
I greet Valentine Gaudin-Muteba, the channel’s MD for Southern Africa, and ask Trace Group CEO Olivier Laouchez, who hails from Martinique, whether he ever envisioned the channel he founded 22 years ago would grow into an entertainment force with an audience of more than 350-million viewers across 190 countries.
“I will surprise you when I say, ‘Yes!’ That was my dream, that was my vision, that was my mission,” says the entrepreneur who moved to South Africa 12 years ago, recognising that here there would be a great base to build the channel globally, while acknowledging its African roots.
Thanks to the global music channel and digital streaming services like Spotify, music these days truly knows no borders. And, no matter what language it is recorded in, if the song lends itself to a catchy dance, the appeal is even more universal.
Take Tshwala Bam, the amapiano track which secured producers Thato Mathobela (better known as TitoM) and Bongani Sibanyoni (Yuppe) two nominations – for Song of the Year and Best Artist (Southern Africa), along with a nomination shared with Nigerian superstar Burna Boy in the Best Collaboration category for its remix.
As of August last year, the song had amassed over 277-million streams across the world, in no small part thanks to the viral TikTok dance craze which it spawned.
With many having participated in the dance challenge — including American artists Jason Derulo and Kelly Rowland, and French dancers Les Twins — I ask the Pretoria duo to clear up what the song, recorded in isiZulu featuring vocals by S.N.E. and EeQue, is all about.
“Tshwala Bam means, ‘My alcohol.’ It is about getting drunk and not being able to control your alcohol,” explains Yuppe.
Although guests like sneaker queen Kim Jayde, 2025 A-Lister Kuhle Adams (striking in a silver sequin maxi dress from Something Borrowed) and singers Lyle Volkwyn and Kayla Neilson were asked to arrive at 6pm, we were left to mill around for almost two hours before the start of the proceedings, compèred by Ntsako Victor Rankapula Vukeya.
Gratefully, there were plenty of snacks to keep us occupied, like deshelled prawns on an avo salsa, that firm party favourite, arancini balls (these filled with mushroom and mozzarella), meatballs with Napoletana sauce and caramelised onion served in shot glasses, smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis, Vietnamese style vegetable wraps and beef sliders.
Disappointingly, aside from the Tshwala Bam hitmakers, none of the local nominees — like Tyla (too busy pouting in front-row seats at fashion weeks abroad?), Uncle Waffles, Tyler ICU, Kamo Mphela or Makhadzi — bothered to make an appearance.
What they missed out on was an electrifying performance by the ultimate showman, Sjava, and the thrill of hearing TitoM & Yuppe on the decks.
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