Superstar and award-winning queen of South African rap Sho Madjozi serves up her anxiously awaited new single and music video “Chalé” today via Epic Records. Listen to “Chalé” HERE.
While performing to sold out audiences in arenas across North America with Stromae at the end of 2022, she cooked up “Chalé” with tourmate, DJ, producer, and collaborator Tboy DaFlame. Together, they channeled the same creative chemistry that catalyzed her viral smash “John Cena.” Sho teased “Chalé” with a brief TikTok post in the middle of the holidays. Fans immediately embraced it as the short clip generated 6 million views. She recently gave the single its live debut with show-stopping performances in Tanzania and Ghana.
Propelled by an Amapiano beat, she spits rapid fire rhymes in Tsonga. Meanwhile, the chantable chorus pops off in English as she proclaims, “You wasn’t there when we were shooting in the gym, back then when the money wasn’t coming in, click click, Sho Madjozi, can I have a pic?” The music video flaunts downright flawless fast-paced choreography and high-energy vignettes as she shines in every frame. Shot on the streets of Cape Town, the video showcases her magnetic presence and the pride her home country has for her, as the video features an entirely real group of fans who were crashing the video shoot for photos and videos with Sho.
Bound for catchphrase status, “Chalé” possesses multiple meanings. In Ghanaian Pidgin English slang, it could translate to “Dude” or “Homie,” but it also can signify either disappointment or agreement, depending on the context.
In this context, it could very well mean “Smash”…
It arrives on the heels of “Toro” [feat. DDG]. In addition to gaining steam on DSPs,OkayPlayer proclaimed,“The two ride the wave of the beat in a beat in a memorable way,” and CLASH hailed it “a blazing ball of fiery energy” and christened her “a true force of nature, someone who has taken the organic street sounds of South Africa to a global audience.” The track was notably her first English release since the viral “John Cena,” and continues to position the music industry disruptor as a true international force of nature.
Right now, Sho Madjozi is preparing more music for release very soon.
About Sho Madjozi:
Sho Madjozi has come a long way from the two-room rondavel she called home as a child in South Africa. Since making her debut in 2017, she quietly emerged as a force renowned for head-spinning wordplay, ear-perking Xitsonga lyrics, and eye-popping colorful fashion. Powered by bangers like “John Cena” and “Huku,” she took home “Favorite African Star” at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, “Best New International Artist”at the BET Awards, “Entertainer of the Year” from Forbes, and more. This year, she’s been nominated once again for a BET Award in the category of “Best International Artist.” She has released several albums and projects, including 2020’s What A Life, that dived deep into the sounds of her birthplace in Limpopo, South Africa.
She has graced covers of magazines around the world such as Elle SA, Cosmopolitan SA, and Bona. Not to mention, she shared the stage with Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran at the 2019 Global Citizen Festival and joined forces with Diplo for a much talked-about Super Bowl party performance in the same year. Plus, she met actor and WWE legend John Cena during a viral moment on The Kelly Clarkson Show. In addition to widespread acclaim from Vogue, BBC, OkayAfrica, and more, The New York Times praised how “She pays homage to her heritage while updating it for the moment, cutting across continents and genres.” Alongside being a force in music and fashion, plus a cultural lightening rod across the globe in her own right, Sho Madjozi is also an author. Having recently released her first children’s book Shoma and the Stars at the end of 2022, it was written has a tribute to her late younger sister.
In 2023, Show Madjozi is continuing her way to the forefront of popular culture worldwide on her own terms.
