Uncle Waffles & Tony Duardo

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Uncle Waffles & Tony Duardo · Uncle Waffles is the stage name of Lungelihle Zwane, a DJ and producer from Eswatini who works in South Africa. She was born in 2000 and was at first a television presenter. In 2020 she learned to DJ during the lockdowns and, by her own account, practised eight hours a day. In October 2021 she stepped in for a DJ at a club in Soweto and a video of her dancing during her set went viral.

Music and breakthrough

Her first single, Tanzania, was released in March 2022, shortly before the EP Red Dragon. The song reached number one in South Africa. Rolling Stone named it one of the best Afropop songs of 2022. The EPs Asylum and Solace followed in 2023, with Echoes, on which the producer Tony Duardo takes part. In April 2023 she was the first amapiano artist at Coachella. Beyoncé used Tanzania in a dance moment on her Renaissance World Tour.

Influence

Amapiano is a South African dance style with rolling bass, slow house beats and jazzy piano sounds. Uncle Waffles brought that sound to festivals and radio far beyond Africa, thanks in part to her dancing and her presence on social media. Tanzania is the best-known example.

Listening

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  Tanzania · Uncle Waffles & Tony Duardo, 2022
  Apple Music ↗