Lloyiso Is Apple Music’s Latest Africa Rising Recipient

The latest featured artist in Apple Music’s Africa Rising artist development program is Port Elizabeth-born soul singer-songwriter Lloyiso, whose real name Loyiso Gijana.

“It’s an honour to be selected as the next Africa Rising artist on Apple Music,” Lloyiso says. “Apple has been a major supporter of mine from the very beginning and I’m so excited to continue working together via this program. This is just the start of what’s to come – I’m taking my music all the way from South Africa to the world!”

With a love for music grounded in his participation in the church choir growing up, Lloyiso caught the attention of the public after he entered SA Idols in 2015. After placing fifth, Lloyiso went on to perform wherever possible around the country, but it was his covers of popular songs from artists like Rihanna, Billie Eilish and Lewis Capaldi that gained him viral notoriety.

After making history as the first South African artist signed to American label Republic Records, Lloyiso made his mark with singles such as ‘Easy On Me’ (2021) and ‘Speak’ (2022), which tapped into an emotional vulnerability far beyond his young years.

His debut album ‘Seasons’ (2023) is a 7-track culmination of his artistic growth spearheaded by soulful track ‘Run’ and emotive ballad ‘What Would I Say’.

The latest music from Lloyiso along with that of Africa’s hottest new artists, is available now on the Apple Music Africa Rising Playlist.