TKZee have a special treat for their fans this Youth Day.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of their first album, “Halloween”, the iconic South African kwaito group will on Sunday, June 16, premiere a podcast-style interview on YouTube, which will be hosted by renowned journalist and communications manager, Lesley Mofokeng.
The special edition podcast will pay homage to the acclaimed musicians’ nine-track musical offering, which was released back in 1998 and went on to define pop culture as it shook up the music industry.
The “Shibobo” hitmakers are made up of school friends Zwai Bala, Kabelo Mabalane and Tokollo “Magesh” Tshabalala, who died in August 2022, at the age of 45, after suffering an epileptic seizure.
In a statement, Bala reflected on the timing and significance of sharing this celebratory album milestone piece with the rest of the world.
“As much as TKZee was a representation of the youth at the time, we can’t take for granted the contribution that those young people made to the struggle for freedom before us and the opportunities the youth have today,” he said.
“My hope is that the 25th anniversary of ‘Halloween’ will serve to document some of our experience while sending out a message of doing the work and being persistent about making that dream happen.”
The statement added that the album, which was released four years into the dawn of democracy, is regarded as a conversation that allows for the nation to reflect on the context in which TKZee rose to prominence and crossed genres and age demographics to appeal to those far and wide.
“The 25th anniversary of ‘Halloween’ represents a poignant piece of South African music history, with a host of special appearances by multiple industry movers and shakers along with loyal fans and members of the TKZee Family, whose presence reinforced an irrevocable nod to the Legacy that is Zwai Bala, Kabelo Mabalane and Tokollo ‘Magesh’ Tshabalala,” it added.
And while this year marks 26 years since the group’s debut album was released, they are thrilled to be marking “Halloween’s” 25th anniversary a year later with the Youth Day podcast.
∎ Watch TKZee’s podcast on their YouTube channel on June 16 at 10am.