AfroPunk Battle of the Bands winners a step closer to main stage

Fans and avid music lovers gathered in Braamfontein to witness their favourite band being selected as the winner of AfroPunk Battle of the Bands competition. The competition, now in its 3rd year, traditionally selects one band as a winner, but in a shocking turn of events, two competing acts, Muneyi and Shameless were announced as this year’s winners. Following a rigorous process the two winning bands will be joining international and local acts as part of the AfroPunk Joburg Festival taking place on 30 and 31 December at Constitution Hill.

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Competing at the finals were Raspy, Muneyi, Shameless and Yanga Yaya. The finalists were selected through a public voting system hosted on AfroPunk’s website where fans got to vote for their favourite band, putting them a step closer to the finals.

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“Every year, we get to witness amazing talent from young artists who are diverse and not afraid to express themselves freely in whatever form they feel like. The Battle of the Bands platform has been a success in South Africa because of the multi-cultural landscape which inspires raw and untamed talent which is what we witnessed tonight. Congratulations to all the finalists and we’re really excited to see their rise to stardom,” said Matthew Morgan, AfroPunk co-founder.

Apart from performing at the festival, the two upcoming bands will receive a prestigious distribution deal from Africa’s leading artist development hub, AFRICORI. Previous winners include the likes of Red Robyn, Ikati Esengxoweni and Stiff Pap who all have been steadily progressing in their music careers since performing at the competition.

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Adam Tiran, AFRICORI’s head of operations, described this year’s competition as an eclectic melting pot of daring talent with the potential to shape the country’s music landscape.