Latest news with #Thato
IOL News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Thato' is here! Kelvin Momo drops new album just before Red Bull Symphonic confirmation
Kelvin Momo's highly anticipated album 'Thato' has finally arrived. Image: X The people's favourite Amapiano DJ and music producer, Kelvin Momo, released his highly anticipated album, 'Thato', on Friday, May 30. Like most of his body of work, 'Thato' is a masterful blend of Amapiano and jazz, which creates a deeply emotional and evocative sound that resonates with his fans. The opening track, titled 'Buya', features the late vocal powerhouse, Yallunder, with whom Momo has worked on previous albums. The 29-track album features an array of talented vocalists, each bringing their unique style and energy to the table. With its rich instrumentation and heartfelt lyrics, the album has already won the hearts of many. This is the 'Emaphupheni' hitmaker's seventh solo studio album; it comes after 'Ntsako', which he released in December 2024. His albums are always anticipated by his fans, who stay up until midnight to experience his artistry. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Given Momo's track record of producing chart-topping hits and songs, the album is already climbing up the charts, surpassing track records that were held by his previous albums 'Ntsako', 'Sewe', 'Kurhula' and 'Amukelani'. The album's release comes at an interesting time, with speculation swirling about Momo's involvement in the upcoming Red Bull Symphonic event. The event is scheduled to take place on June 6, 7, and 8. He was announced as the headliner in April. However, before the release of 'Thato', Momo archived all mentions of the Red Bull Symphonic event from his Instagram feed, including the link to purchase tickets from his bio. This was picked up by a fan who took to X to share the news. Kelvin removed the Symphonic posts alongside the link to the event? 😭😭😭😭😭🤣 — Island gworl🏝️ (@ndzalyy_) May 28, 2025 This move has sparked rumours that he might not perform at the event as previously announced. However, all is well, as it turned out that he was just archiving posts in preparation for the release of 'Thato'. The scepticism from fans comes after the Amapiano sensation missed three gigs, citing health issues. Last week, he was booked to play at Cafe 69, Piano Hub and Makubenjalo but later released a statement explaining why he could not make it. Concerns about his reliability have been growing among his fans as they questioned if he will show up at the scheduled Red Bull Symphonic event. Rightfully so, since there have been more incidents of him missing performances he had been booked for. In May, it was reported that the 31-year-old DJ is facing a financial threat after Australian firm Ace Events filed court documents seeking the liquidation of his company, 'Kelvin Momo Productions'. The claim alleges that his company owes up to R2.8 million in refunds and damages due to his failure to perform at two scheduled shows in Australia last year.
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Kelvin Momo releases album amid speculation about his involvement at this year's Redbull Symphonic
Momo removed all Red Bull Symphonic-related content from his social media. Kelvin Momo has released a new album, this after speculation of him no longer performing at the Redbull Symphonic Ochestra. Picture: Kelvin Momo/Facebook Music producer Kelvin Momo has released a new album after a tumultuous week in the media, which led to speculation about his involvement at this year's Red Bull Symphonic. 'It's not just an album for me, this one hits home,' wrote Momo on his Instagram stories. Real name Thato Ledwaba, on Friday, Momo released the 29-track album titled Thato. 'This is the only way I can express my emotions and feelings,' Momo wrote in his Instagram stories. This week, Momo's team released an apologetic statement after the amapiano producer missed two shows he was scheduled for the weekend before. Earlier this month, reports emerged about an Australian promoter filing a liquidation application against Momo's company, Kelvin Momo Production, in the Johannesburg High Court. This was after he failed to honour his performance commitments in Melbourne and Perth, where he was booked to play 60-minute sets on two consecutive nights in November 2024. The Citizen reached out to the producer and his team for comment. However, no response was received at the time of publishing. ALSO READ: Kelvin Momo a no-show – again Speculation over Redbull Symphonic participation Amid the negative media reports surrounding him, Momo removed all Red Bull Symphonic-related content from his social media. This led to speculation and concern that he might no longer perform at the concert, together with music director and conductor Adam Howard and the Egoli Symphonic Orchestra. Kelvin removed the Symphonic posts alongside the link to the event? 😭😭😭😭😭🤣 May 28, 2025 The Citizen reached out to Red Bull for comment following the removal of the content from Momo's social media. No response was received. However, on Friday morning, following The Citizen's enquiry, which was shared with Momo and Red Bull, the producer reinstated all the Red Bull Symphonic posts that had been removed a few days earlier. What Momo did was archive his Instagram posts. This is a tool on Instagram that allows a person to remove a post from the public's view temporarily. Yet, the account holder can still see the archived posts and even unarchive them to make them visible on their Instagram feed again. Before this, Momo had posted a cryptic message on his Instagram about choosing himself. ALSO READ: WATCH: Kelvin Momo on 'private school' Amapiano and Red Bull Symphonic hype Momo's long album Some have joked that his albums are so long that one can drive from Joburg to Limpopo just listening to one of Momo's albums until they reach their destination. His latest release runs for just under four hours. 'You know when you're in studio and you do a song and the song becomes nicer as you add more elements like the bass guitar. I just decide there that the song is getting stretched and made longer because it shouldn't be this short,' Momo told The Citizen earlier this year. NOW READ: Adam Howard: SA's adopted son who fell in love with the music and never looked back
TimesLIVE
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
‘A bold voice who brought courage' — tributes pour in for comedian Thato Mabelane
Industry colleagues, friends and fans have taken to social media to pay tribute to comedian Thato Mabelane. Thato succumbed to cancer in the early hours on Monday. Thato's friend Dr Estelle Wiid confirmed the news to TshisaLIVE, revealing the comedian was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago but it metastasised to the brain. Ahead of the memorial ceremony set to take place on June 1 at Chapmans Peak second viewing point in Cape Town from 2pm, industry colleagues reflected on the impact she made as a comedian, HR specialist and champion rower. ' We are deeply saddened by the passing of comedian Thato Mabelane. She was an inspiration to many, a bold voice who brought courage, honesty and heart to the stage and in life. Her presence in the South African comedy scene will be missed. Condolences to her family, friends and fans. May she rest in peace,' wrote Cassandra 'Dedekind' Garofallou.
TimesLIVE
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
Comedian Thato Mabelane dies
Comedian Thato Mabelane has died. Thato's friend Dr Estelle Wiid confirmed the news to TshisaLIVE, revealing she succumbed to cancer in the early hours on Monday. Estelle said the comedian was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago but it metastasized to the brain. A memorial ceremony in her honour is set to take place on June 1 at Chapmans Peak second viewing point in Cape Town from 2pm. Thato was a comedian, HR specialist and champion rower. In 2015, Thato became the first African woman to row across the Atlantic from Gran Canaria to northwestern Africa in a purpose-built ocean rowing boat called Avalon in 43 days. Thato competed in the World Masters Regatta in Gauteng last month, winning two gold medals and a silver. She was well-known in the comedy industry and respected by her colleagues. Thato staged a one-woman comedy act, 3rd Generation Coconut, at the 2022 National Arts Festival.
The Citizen
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
KHS matric learner strikes gold at U20 Afcon
Krugersdorp High School's very own Thato Sibiya has made both his country and community proud as he was part of the talented group of players who lifted the U20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title for the first time in Egypt after they beat Morocco 1–0 in the final on May 18. • Also read: KHS youngster among SA U17 squad at AFCON Thato, who is currently in matric, describes the feeling of winning as overwhelming and emotional, stating that it was all teamwork and hard work that earned them gold. Thato plays as a left-wing defender for the Mamelodi Sundowns Football Academy. It was in April 2023 that he received his first national team call-up, representing the U17 team in the Afcon that took place in Algeria that year. The U20 team won their maiden title while also reaching their first final in nearly two decades. The boys returned to a hero's welcome on May 20, and Thato was overwhelmed with joy. It feels unbelievable, you know, it feels like I'm dreaming because we made history as being the first youth group to do it, which I'm grateful for. It feels special.' Ahead of the match, the coach of the U20 national team, Raymond Mdaka, expressed confidence that the boys were capable of rewriting the history books. Raymond believed they could cause a significant upset against Morocco. 'For us, reaching the final was out of our reach, but the belief grew when we made it. Nevertheless, we have rewritten the history books. We would now like to turn the tables and see how best we can help develop young talent as a country, because you can see there has been a bit of a slump in South Africa regarding junior teams, but we have picked up our game, as my goalkeeper said. You see, the U17s have qualified, the U20s have qualified. It looks like we are getting there,' he said. According to Thato, the preparations going into the final were very clear and straightforward, as the team knew they had come that far not just to participate in the final but to win it and make history. The team played six games, facing formidable opponents such as Egypt, Nigeria, and Morocco to claim their first title. It was the boys' first final since 1997, facing Morocco once more. The victory in the final means the team qualifies for the U20 FIFA World Cup, which will be held later this year in Chile. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
