BY PHUMZILE NDLOVU
MBABANE – Rolling with the big guns, literally!
Uncle Waffles has been featured in Rolling Stone, an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. The local-born DJ shared on her Instagram storyline how excited she was to be featured in the magazine today.
The magazine feature read, in part; Eswatini’s Uncle Waffles meteoric rise and journey to superstardom have been aspirating. Less than three years into her career, she has dropped a trilogy of projects and performed on the world’s biggest stages. Her star-studded track ‘Yahyuppiyah’, the lead single to her sophomore EP, Asylum, has proven her dedication to constantly putting out quality work and how she translates….’’
On her other page, dubbed WELOVEWAFFLES, read; This month alone @unclewaffles has been recognised by Rolling Stones, Forbes, CNN Variety, The New York Times, and Complex UK for her insane accomplishments throughout 2023, spanning from Solace and Asylum Extended Playlist EP releases, Coachella performances, and sold-out shows in New York.
Born Lungelihle Zwane 23 years ago, the Eswatini-born DJ and record producer was based in South Africa. She is noted for her work in the Amapiano genre and dance abilities, with Billboard describing her as the Princess of Amapiano. The Rolling Stone is a magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in 1967 in San Francisco, California by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its coverage of Rock music. In 1990, the magazine broadened and shifted its focus to a younger readership interested in youth-oriented television shows, film actors, and popular music.
Waffles debut single, titled Tanzania, reached number one and went platinum in South Africa. She has gained the attention of some of the world’s biggest names, including Canadian rapper Drake. The world got to know about DJ after Drake shared a photo of her and sent a shout-out to her. He did that twice. He first joined her on Instagram live and called her a top DJ. Waffles tweeted that she was super excited and screamed for a good 10 minutes.
Last year, the DJ pulled in quite a crowd at her Dragons Den show on October 29. This year she closed Mbabane when she had her show at the Albert Millin Pop Sunday, fresh from performing at the global festival Coachella Festival and touring the US and Europe. She has become a global brand, playing for European soccer stars and touring global stages, killing it on the decks. She once shared that it was all a chain of events from the video clip of her on the decks that trended on one line. “People only knew about the Co-sign from Drake the second day. I then received a text from someone asking if I was aware that Drake follows you. I went and checked and found many more, from producers to Jermaine Dupree. Then I followed him back. A lot of producers follow back, which feels great, but it gets even worse when they reach out. We love your story, which is unreal, especially when you reach out to me. We love what you are doing.”
This year alone, she bagged her own Kentucky Fried Burger (KFC), the Waffles Burger, which proved to be in demand as it sold out on the day it was launched in South Africa. She has partnered with Unilever and advertised sanitary pads. She also clinched a Jagemeister deal, among other brands. US star Beyoncé also played her Tanzania song on her recent Renaissance tour.
