SA: Apple Music shines spotlight on Sio

Sio’s music will be featured in South Africa and across the rest of the continent. The move coincides with the release of Sio’s 17-track debut album sbtxts which is available for streaming on Spotify, Deezer and Google Play. sbtxts features such songs as ‘I Love It’, ‘Thoughts’, ‘Place to Run’, ‘Retrospect’, ‘Double Tap’, ‘Could You’ and ‘Broken Sunset’.

“Praise the Universe,” Sio said. “It’s a great honour for one of the world’s biggest music platforms to get behind me and my latest work and to shine a light on my debut album. Apple Music has the global reach, which I believe is going to open doors for me. I’m stunned and grateful for the opportunity.”

Apple Music said: “sbtxts delves into her personal views on the joys and challenges of romantic love by combining soulful storytelling with electronic music. Refusing to be confined by any predefined category of musical expression, she fuses and blends many styles and genres of music, producing an array of tracks which confirm her vocal versatility across house, electronic, soul and folk music.”

Born in Johannesburg, Sio draws inspiration from such artists as Sade, The Bee Gees, Boys to Men, Kenny G and Brenda Fassie. She has collaborated with a host of well-known artists including Kid Fonque, Charles Webster, Daev Martian, Luka, Jullian Gomes, Ziyon, Yugen Blakrock, Bokani Dyer, Shane Cooper, Jackie Queens and Nonku Phiri. Her versatility, storytelling style and rich vocals have gained her a wide following in the country and abroad.

Previous South African artists who have benefited from Apple’s New Artist Spotlight platform include Elizée and Malachi, Sho Madjozi, Simmy, Dope Saint Jude, Darkie Fiction, Dutchkid, Emerger and Thandi Ntuli, among others.

Listen to Sio's '800 Minutes' off the sbtxts album: