In September 2022, Uncle Waffles launched her first movie clip
About Uncle Waffles
Uncle Waffles, real name Ungelihle Zwane was born on March 30, 2000. She is a South African-born DJ and record producer who was born in Swaziland. Billboard dubbed her the “princess of amapiano” due to her contributions to the amapiano genre and her dancing ability. In South Africa, her first single, “Tanzania” peaked at number one and was certified seven times platinum there. Zwane grew up in the former Swaziland, now known as Eswatini. She was raised by her grandmother during her early years and didn’t know her own parents. She had a tense relationship with her mother after making amends with her during her adolescence. Zwane was raised on South African house and kwaito music by producers and DJs like DJ Kent, Lebo Mathosa, and Black Coffee. Zwane used to be a television presenter on Studio1 on Eswatini TV before becoming well-known as a DJ. She left the show in January 2022, and her replacement took over. There was a fifteen-year-old set of DJ decks there, and it was via her friend who worked at the studio that she got introduced to DJing. She later came back to south africa to continue her university.
Uncle Waffles claimed to have rehearsed eight hours a day while learning how to DJ during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.She joined the ranks of South Africa’s KreativeKornerr creative firm, which helped her secure gigs in the “heavily saturated” music scene of the nation. She became well-known after standing in for a resigned DJ at the Zone 6 nightclub in Soweto in October 2021 when a video of her dancing to Young Stunna’s “Adiwele” during her set went viral. and started to publicly support her on the platform. Uncle Waffles quickly moved into recording music, releasing her first song “Tanzania” in March 2022 to coincide with the release of her first extended play (EP), Red Dragon, which was also published in the same month. The song, which took her three months to polish, was named the sixth best afropop song of 2022 by Rolling Stone, and she was called “a global ambassador for amapiano” by reviewers. Uncle Waffles left on her first-ever tour of the UK and Ireland in April 2022.The tour, which she led with DJ Maphorisa and Focalistic and is considered the first all-star amapiano tour in the area, was connected to a run of performances put on by Piano People.
In September 2022, Uncle Waffles launched her first movie clip for the song “Tanzania.” Uncle Waffles revealed she would be doing an interview on BBC Radio 1 in the same month. She was the only DJ to play at Accra’s 2022 Global Citizen Festival. In December 2022 and again in September 2023, she collaborated with KFC South Africa to introduce a special “Uncle Waffles burger,” which was sold in nearby locations. After that, she set out on a performing tour through Australia and the United States. The British magazine Mixmag praised Uncle Waffles as one of the world’s biggest rising DJs of 2022. In March 2023, the streaming site Audiomack also praised her as a “#UpNow” artist.First published as a single, “Yahyuppiyah” was included on Uncle Waffles’ second EP, Asylum, which was put out in March 2023. Within a week of its release, the EP received a gold certification from the Recording Industry of South Africa (RISA).
She made history by being the first amapiano artist to ever play at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in April 2023. Uncle Waffles responded to American artist Beyoncé’s sampling of her song “Tanzania” during a dance break on the Renaissance World Tour setlist by writing, “I’m crying, wow,” on Instagram. She received a 2023 BET Award nomination for Best International Act. As the sequel to Asylum, Uncle Waffles released the EP Solace in the year 2023, which she referred to as “An Asylum of Solace,” a double-sided production. The single “Echoes” starring Tony Duardo, which was released on August 4, 2023, served as its support. On April 17, 2024, her hit song “Wadibusa,” featuring OHP Sage, Pcee, and Djy Bizana, came out. It reached its highest point at No. 4 on the Local Top 100 and No. 11 on the global Top 200. On June 2, 2024, We Love Green, Paris, till November 29, Asia, Waffles will set out on her next Less Talk, More Piano Tour.
