SA: Pabi Cooper named Apple Music’s latest Isgubhu cover star

The announcement comes ahead of the release of her highly anticipated debut album Cooperville which will be available to stream on Apple Music in Spatial Audio. It follows the success of her first single ‘Isiphithiphithi’.

To celebrate her feature, Pabi Cooper has created an exclusive Isgubhu playlist bred for the dance floor.

“I feel honoured to take over Apple Music’s Isgubhu for the month,” she told Apple Music. “I have put together a selection of tracks which include some of my favourite artists and friends that I have worked with that inspire me to keep moving. I hope you enjoy dancing to this playlist as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

“I’ve selected albums that include my all-time favourite songs featuring some of my favourite musicians like Msaki, Samthing Soweto and Ami Faku who inspire my writing style. The most common thing about these albums is that the music is dancey but yet soulful, from the melodies to drums. They have hugely influenced my sound in dance today.”

Taking over Isgubhu By… for this month is local singer and songwriter Maline Aura who recently released a three-track dance EP called Maliné.

Launched in early 2021, Isgubhu is the definitive home of African dance and electronic music on Apple Music, spotlighting and elevating the work of African electronic DJs, producers and creatives. Isgubhu, a Zulu word meaning beat and used to refer to a banging song, pays homage to an evergreen set of genres and the African artists who have played a pivotal role in shaping the dance and electronic scene across the world.