Urban Village to kick off new ‘South African Sounds’ live virtual series

The series seeks to bring viewers around the world closer to some of South Africa’s finest musicians and has been touted as a ‘social stream experience’ where fans will get to chat to each other in real time, donate to the artists performing and view added content.

The virtual performance comes on the heels of the Urban Village’s debut album Udondolo. The Soweto-based band has received critical acclaim for its organic live performances and fusion of traditional and contemporary musical styles.

“We released our debut album Udondolo via French label Nø Førmat! on 22 January to amazing feedback from across the globe, and our show with Soda Studios will give us a chance to connect with this audience virtually,” Urban Village drummer Xolani Mtshali said. “In 2020, we did a number of virtual performances including a showcase at WOMEX in October, which led to the band signing with EU booking agents and getting access to European and North American media.”

Urban Village recently release the video for the single ’Dindi’, which Mtshali says has helped elevate the four-piece band’s presence in the media.

“Our latest music video 'Dindi' has been added to rotation on Trace Africa and the song has been playlisted by Kaya FM, Radio 2000, Power FM, Motsweding FM, Lesedi FM and many other local radio stations.

“In addition to that, we have received amazing press feedback from the UK, France and Germany. As this is our debut album and it‘s only been out a month, we cannot compare to the ‘old normal’ but we are very happy with the feedback on the release so far.”

Asked about the group's experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic, Mtshali said: “We have learnt to be patient, to trust in the process of making and releasing music. We have been supported by our management Akum Agency and label Nø Førmat! in planning our release and building out a team to support us across the world.”

The show will be live on US platform StageIT. Purchase tickets here.