Queer Music: S’BO GYRE releases modern Kwaito Gospel banger

Fresh off his success with Nkoli: The Vogue Opera, rising Empangeni-born queer musician S’BO GYRE has collaborated with Vosloorus native artist Dali Danger to create a feel-good Kwaito Gospel song.

Sonini, a Nguni praise-name for God, is produced by LTO and SiyaCee of Audio Addicts in celebration of divine favour. Through its Amapiano-infused hip-hop production, akin to Riky Rick’s Ungang’ncishi, Sonini aims to be a street and club hit.

Lyrically, S’BO GYRE and Dali exude the perfect balance of braggadocio and thankfulness as they exclaim the perks of their faithfulness to their spiritual beliefs in isiZulu, Sesotho and English.

The production is a silky experience with the enmeshments of sounds commonly found in Amapiano instrumentals alongside a kwaito bounce and gliding bass. The standard hard-hitting log drum is embellished by sonically pleasing keys, protruding a melody that gives the record its ethereal essence, befitting the title.

“The moment I conceptualised the theme of the song, I knew Dali was the only artist I wanted to feature on the record,” said the self-proclaimed ‘jackpot of all trades’, S’BO GYRE. “What I love the most is that this record is a great kick-starter to an era I have dedicated to illustrating and enjoying my musical versatility.”

On working on the record that he describes as a “modern Kwaito Gospel song,” Dali said of collaborating with S’BO GYRE: ”I’ve always seen S’BO as someone who does dope things and I always want to associate myself with dope people doing dope things.”

Accompanied by a performance and radio push, the record is the perfect start to S’BO GYRE’s return and Dali Danger’s continuation following the success of his project, KNYMN.

November capped a momentous year for S’BO GYRE in which he performed at Boiler Room, Basha Uhuru and at the Back to the City main stage, with the latter achievement proving historic as the first openly gay male rapper to grace the iconic stage.

This was all followed by the recent world premiere of Nkoli: The Vogue Opera, a hybrid production that he co-wrote with veteran and Shaka iLembe composer, Phillip Miller. The weekend-long debut at the Market Theatre was met with critical acclaim as well as four sold-out shows on the iconic John Kani stage.

“I’m so grateful to finally reap the rewards of a career that I have earned through sacrifice and dedication to my craft. It’s time the world experienced the true breadth of my artistry,” said S’BO GYRE.

Sonini is now available for streaming on all major platforms.