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UNCOVEREDUNCOVEREDBEFORE THEY BLOWSEPTEMBER 2026 Issue Number 001Uncovering South African alternative artistsCREATIVE SPOTLIGHTTRIBUTE TO ASANELE MANGAYILuniLuniM eetM eetLet'sLet's
UNCOVERED @uncoveredalt @uncoveredmusicza UNHEARD. UNFILTERED. UNCOVERED A space for the voices, sounds and stories waiting to be discovered.
56THE DROP UNCOVERED : EVENTS4 EDITOR'S LETTER CREATIVE SPOTLIGHT A personal introduction to the first issue and why UNCOVERED exists.Where creativity finds its voice. New music, releases and sounds worth discovering Listing upcoming Johannesburg music events Inside1 37 UNCOVERED PLAYLIST Music worth discovering, before everyone else catches on.8 BEFORE THEY BLOW Uncovering South African alternative artists COVER STORY : LET'S MEET LUNI A conversation with the artist on music, identity, creativity and her journey.1015
Welcome to UNCOVERED. This magazine was created to shine a light on the artists, musicians and creatives who deserve to be heard, seen and discovered. Our first issue is a celebration of South African alternative culture from emerging voices to established creatives and the stories behind their work. We are here to look beyond the obvious, discover what others might miss, and give creative voices a space to be unheard no more. Thank you for being part of Issue 001. Welcome to UNCOVERED. Unheard. Unfiltered. Uncovered.Uncovered TeamEDITOR-IN-CHIEF 4EDITOR'S LETTER
5 J'DENE, FRANK, THE OUTCAST, VERONICAA THE DROP MXCHEAL BLUERelease Date :The best releases from the last 90 days you might've missed, plus what's dropping next. Curated by UNCOVERED G3NESIS LUNITrail of Broken hearts BLCK N'wanangaRelease Date : Release Date :FREETake my loss Release Date : OSHUN GRIZZLY, FIJI MAGEBALet's Go Release Date : NaratevRelease Date : 30 August 2026 10 August 202628 August 2026 28 August 2026 04 September 2026 24 August 2026 KAYPIN Spirited awayRelease Date : 30 july 2026 LANGA MAVUSO I choose youRelease Date : 08 September 2026 UNCOVERED
6 UPCOMING EVENTS UNCOVERED. SUNDAY, 04 OCTOBER SJAVA IN THE PARK4WAYS MARKET JOHANNESBURG SUNDAY, 04 OCTOBER To jazz or not to jazzW E E D L O V E R S M A R K E T F O U R W A Y S P I N E S L O P E S H O P P I N G C E N T E R J H B FRI-SAT, 6-7 NOVEMBER C O N S T I T U T I O N A L H I L L , W O M E N ' S J A I L 1 1 K O T Z E S T R E E T , B R A A M F O N T E I N , J O H A N N E S B U R G YOUR TOUCH~UP FEST 2026 SUNDAY, 04 OCTOBER MONTECASINO JOHANNESBURG IN THE CITY
7 UNCOVERED PLAYLIST Music worth discovering, before everyone else catches on. UNCOVERED
MUSIC THAT ASK YOU TO LISTENBEFORE THEY BLOW Kozo zwane 8 UNCOVERED
By Margarita Perez Photography by Francois MercerBEFORE THEY BLOW 9 KOZO ZWANE: MUSIC THAT ASKS YOU TO LISTEN In a musical landscape often driven by noise, speed and the pressure to be heard, Kozo Zwane is building something quieter and perhaps more lasting. The Johannesburg-based singer-songwriter and guitarist creates from a space where folk melodies, South African jazz, AmaZioni influences and poetic storytelling meet. His music doesn't appear interested in fitting neatly into one genre. Instead, it feels like an ongoing conversation between sound, memory, spirituality and emotioFor Kozo, music extends beyond the stage. His work has moved through film, fashion, theatre and visual art, while his live performances have taken him across Johannesburg, Cape Town and beyond. From scoring short films to opening for Alice Phoebe Lou and collaborating with artists such as Muneyi, Kujenga and Internet Athi, Zwane is steadily creating a world that feels distinctly his own.n.UNCOVERED
In an era where music is often driven by trends, algorithms, and viral moments, artists who choose honesty over hype are becoming increasingly rare. Luni is one of those artists. The South African singer-songwriter is carving out a space where vulnerability is not hidden but celebrated. Her music speaks to the emotions many people struggle to put into words, the quiet battles, the longing for connection, the process of healing, and the journey of understanding oneself. Instead of chasing perfection, she embraces authenticity, allowing listeners to experience music that feels deeply personal yet universally relatable. 10LET'S MEETLuni What makes Luni exciting isn't just her sound; it's her perspective. In a generation where many people are searching for genuine connection, her music offers exactly that. It reminds us that strength isn't always loud. Sometimes, strength is found in admitting you're hurting, asking difficult questions, or choosing to be seen for who you really are. UNCOVERED Photographer : Nomfundo Ntshadisang
11 "My sister, she was a multifaceted creative growing up and she was, still is actually, the coolest person I knew. I still want to be like her even till today." UNCOVERED.
12Luni is a sensitive, thrill seeking and inquisitive individual with a sense of humor and a determination that is just too hard to give up on. There are so many things that can currently be used to describe who I am but I think the best way to sum it up would be that I am not a quitter. My childhood was one big learning experience, I experienced an array of things from joy to disappointment to fear and it taught me how to process these emotions independently, that actually led me to my creative expression today. When I was seven, I loved singing in the choir at my church and my sister, who was around her early teenage years at the time, exposed me to the music that she was listening to consistently. I loved the way I felt when I sang, that's when I knew I wanted to do this for life. I would tell people who don't know me that all their deepest thoughts set to a backtrack that reflects all they've been through in their toughest and loneliest times. Kind of like those moments where you would be in the backseat of a car going home and watching the lights pass by as you look out the window and there's a song that's playing on the radio while you're thinking or just admiring what you're witnessing in that moment. My vulnerability is my superpower. My ability to be vulnerable with others and with myself at any given moment is a quality of mine that I deeply cherish and I know that not everybody is comfortable expressing that to others and to themselves, I write vulnerable music for the people who feel how I feel but don't quite know what to do with that feeling. UNCOVERED
How do you overcome creative blocks? Lately I have been going into my vault and looking at stuff I worked on before. Anything unfinished never gets discarded, to me the idea is always going to get a chance even if it has to sit in my notes app for a couple of years before you actually find a way to execute it properly. That usually helps me with creative blocks, and if I don’t find anything, I let the block pass through me because it won’t be there forever, sometimes it visits you because you need time to reflect before going ahead with what you want to create. What inspires your visuals and style? I like the preppy aesthetic because it ties into what I am currently doing as a day job, which is working in corporate finance, but also giving it a flair so it looks like I’m rocking up to a place where you can’t really tell if I am supposed to be there or not. I feel like I am a surprise to most because on one side I don’t look like I could be sitting behind a desk crunching numbers all day but on another side I don’t look like I would be singing on a stage.What's your songwriting process? My process looks different each time, either I'm in the studio constructing the beat while also writing, or I got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and I couldn't fall asleep again (that's how Not Your Type came about actually) or I could even be at the gym. I allow myself to be creative in any environment I am in at any given point in time. Which song means the most to you, and why? Left Behind from my 2 pack project Past Year. That song is my shortest song but it's my most vulnerable. I wrote that after I finished matric and I was trying to figure out what the next step of my life was going to be. I know a lot of people can relate to that phase in your life especially after finishing high school because you are unsure what life has ahead of the routine you grew accustomed to for about 12 or so years. I realised that even though I had gone far in my journey, I still had a long way to go and because my life didn't look a certain way by that time compared to other people, I felt left behind. What's the hardest song you've ever written? That’s an unreleased track of mine, but trust me it’s coming and I will talk about it then because there’s a hefty story that needs to be broken down in detail for that!"CREATIVITY IS BEING ABLE TO EXPRESS YOURSELF HOWEVER YOU WANT, IS A JOY THAT COMES FROM WITHIN THAT CAN BE EXECUTED HOWEVER YOU WANT IT TO BE."13The Power of BeingVulnerable UNCOVERED
Trail of Broken Hearts is a look inside the battle of thinking with my head versus following my heart. The two contradictions we often face in love. Knowing that we should listen to one and not the other but still hoping that if we take the chance, we’ll finally end up getting what we want. It’s an exploration of heartbreak from trusting someone with your heart, and the weird feeling of still caring for someone that clearly wouldn’t give up anything for you but hoping that if maybe just maybe, you try hard enough they’ll finally come to their senses. It’s a demonstration of constantly wanting to give up on finding love but still somehow remaining hopeful that one day, you may not just end up falling but that someone will finally catch you when you do. It’s a tale of the whirlwind of romance, the beginning stage of giddiness, the deceit of connection which eventually ends in the truthful display of betrayal. It’s about a girl trying to navigate through her love life in her 20s, and not having such a great time doing so.TRAIL OF BROKENHEARTS 14 UNCOVERED
"ART WAS HIS WAY OF COMMUNICATING, TELLING STORIES AND BRINGING THEM TO LIFE." 15 THE CREATIVE SPOTLIGHT ArtSanele UNCOVERED THE ART WE LEAVE BEHIND. REMEMBERING ARTSANELE Artsanele was a visual artist who used creativity as a language, a way to express ideas, tell stories and make sense of the world around him. Through paintings, portraits and drawings, he created work that reflected his imagination and perspective. For Artsanele, art was more than an image on a canvas; it was a way of connecting with people and leaving something behind. A TRIBUTE TO A CREATIVE LIFE, A DEVELOPING ARTIST, AND THE WORK THAT CONTINUES TO SPEAK. Photographer : Grasmer e Artifacts
16PHOTOGRAPHY BY GRASMERE ARTIFACTS Artsanele understood art as a form of communication. For him, creating was a way of telling stories, expressing ideas and bringing the things he imagined to life. His work explored the possibilities of painting, portraiture and drawing, while his creative journey continued to develop through education, commissions and personal projects. Originally from Grasmere in Finetown, Johannesburg, Artsanele pursued his interest in art and design at Central Johannesburg College. His journey reflected that of many young creatives, discovering a talent, developing a voice and trying to understand where that voice could take him. Artsanele's work was influenced by the world around him, everyday life, nature, architecture, technology and the artists who inspired him. The paintings, portraits and drawings become more than individual pieces. They become part of a record of an artist who was here, who created, who imagined, and who was still developing his story. REMEMBERING ARTSANELE AND THE CREATIVE WORLD HE WAS BUILDING CREATIVE SPOTLIGHT THE ART WE LEAVE BEHIND UNCOVERED
"THE VOICE OF THE UNHEARD"" THIS THE ARTWORK OF GUIDANCE, LIGHT, LOVE AND PROTECTION" 17 - ASANELE MANGALI UNCOVERED
UNCOVERED.CREATIVE SPOTLIGHT