Former 'The River' Actress Anele Zondo’s New Single 'Whole City' Becomes an International Hit
- Anele Zondo, also known as Ney the Bae, is gaining momentum in the music scene with her latest song
- She is putting South African hip-hop on the global stage with her latest track, Whole City, which is making waves in some of the world's biggest markets despite the song blending vernacular and English
- Anele Zondo is a versatile musician and previously released an Amapiano hit song as part of her EP, YTYKM -You Think You Know Me
- Briefly News spoke to data journalist Farai Mudzingwa, who shared insights on factors that contribute to a South African musician breaking into international markets
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Source: Instagram
Former The River actress Anele Zondo’s career as a rapper is growing in leaps and bounds. Her new single, Whole City, is making waves beyond just her city and is representing South African Hip Hop on the global stage.
Anele Zondo, who goes by the moniker Ney the Bae, proves that music is a universal language with her new single Whole City. In the song, Zondo incorporates English and vernac, but that hasn’t stopped people beyond Mzansi’s borders from bopping to her tune.
Anele Zondo wins over international listeners with new song Whole City
Taking to her socials, Anele Zondo shared that Whole City is being streamed the most in some of the world’s biggest music markets. A screenshot taken by SA Hip Hop Magazine from Zondo’s Instagram stories shows that the United States is the number one country where her single has been streamed the most in the last month.
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South Africa comes in at second, with the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia completing the top five, coming in at third, fourth and fifth, respectively. Anele Zondo didn’t share the actual streaming numbers.
Source: Instagram
Briefly News spoke to the founder of Afro Music Observatory, Farai Mudzingwa, who is also a data journalist, to learn how a South African artist can break into international charts.
Mudzingwa said playlisting can contribute to a musician charting in a country such as the United States or the United Kingdom.
"A number of factors end up influencing how well a song does internationally. One factor is playlisting - when the songs are released and an artist has a buzz they end up having their songs get placed in a number of playlists and that could end up having the song scale in a seemingly random market," he explained.
He also shared the role the diaspora plays in making a song succeed in a foreign country.
"Another thing that can help is diaspora listeners sharing the music in their social circles, and it manages to scale beyond that and into the general public domain as well," Mudzingwa added.
Farai Mudzingwa stressed that there's not one secret recipe for an artist to make their song chart internationally. He explained the role that social media plays in ensuring that a song is a success.
"Nowadays, social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram can also change a song’s trajectory, so ultimately it’s a number of factors that can lead to these outcomes, and it’s hard to pinpoint which ones end up influencing outcomes," he said.
Anele Zondo releases an Amapiano hit song
The mother of one isn't limited to a single genre of music. The TV presenter wears many hats when it comes to music and previously tapped into the biggest genre in Mzansi after dropping her first Amapiano hit single, Johnny.
In an interview in October 2023 with ZiMoja, Anele Zondo explained that she considers herself an artist who is not genre-specific, which is why she hopped onto the Amapiano trend.
Anele emphasised that her first EP, YTYKM -You Think You Know Me, had a mixture of four different genres.
Speaking exclusively to Briefly News, Anele disclosed why she was inspired to create Johnny. She revealed that the song was largely based on an old rhyme.
While she has found success as a musician, her alleged relationship with a fellow artist was previously slammed by Mzansi.
Fans drag Anele Zondo for allegedly having a baby with Ciza
Briefly News reported that Anele Zondo’s baby daddy rumours trended on social media after rapper Ciza spoke about fatherhood without confirming her as the mother.
During an interview on Podcast and Chill, Ciza revealed that becoming a father at a young age changed his life, prompting fans to speculate about his relationship with Anele Zondo.
Social media users criticised the alleged age gap, comparing Anele and Ciza’s situation to the controversial Sithelo Shozi and Andile Mpisane relationship.
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Source: Briefly News
