Territory:
Worldwide.
Zambian-born, Botswana-raised, Johannesburg-based MOONGA K. encompasses a myriad of sounds including R&B, soul, electronic and alternative in his music. Raised in a musical family — his father pursued reggae and his mother loved gospel, both parents giving him the space to find his own sound with multiple genres explored in the household. Moonga was inspired at the tender age of 14 to develop his songwriting further after hearing Frank Ocean's “American Wedding”.
He subsequently birthed his own take on Alternative Soul, taking an introspective deep dive into topics such as love in all its forms, depression, anxiety and social-justice issues. The latter is one he uses his platform to advance, in dealing with issues affecting minorities, more specifically women and children affected by gender-based violence.
Having received a BA Hons in Sociology, Moonga’s studies focused on how to bring awareness to the issues affecting young people and his platform in music is used to create safe spaces for those marginalised, and those often misunderstood by the general public. Moonga’s soulful, honeyed tone finds a home in the intimate spaces of his 2017 six-track EP Free, a vivid fusion of introspective neo-soul, confessional alt-pop and elements of traditional R&B, that was selected for the Apple Music New Artist Spotlight.
His debut album, Wild Solace was hailed for its abilities to marry the smooth musings of indie rock rhythms to soulful piano drama, appearing on OkayAfrica’s 2018 list of ‘15 Best South African Albums So Far’. His new record, “an ode to growth, pt. 1” gets even more personal with stories of his experience with unrequited love, and internal metamorphosis.