Over the past six weeks, Spotify’s Mother of Music (MOM) cultural programme has blazed through Durban, honouring the city’s vibrant youth culture and musical legacy with a series of unforgettable events, streetwear launches, artist drop-ins, campus activations, run clubs and more. From street culture vibes at MOM’S HOUSE at Hue Café to the strong community energy at Endless Summer Estate, MOM was a HOT city-wide celebration of sound, youth culture, and the stories around its local identity!
This past weekend, the music festival closed in signature style with iBirthday ka Gobela – a high-energy celebration of Gqom and one of its hometown favourites, Mzamo Mgilane. Held at London on 75 in KwaMashu, the event marked a full-circle moment as MOM returned to the genre’s birthplace for a showstopping finale.
Mzamo, a beloved local figure known for his viral dance moves and entrepreneurial hustle, which includes the popular Mgilane Hair Studio barbershop, KwaMashu, was celebrated in true township style. He celebrated his birthday bash from Friday 1 August to 3 August, with a fire local line-up including GQOMKIID, NTOKZEEN DA ONE, DaSoulBoyz that kept the crowd on their feet. Durban showed up in numbers, literally, with over 2000 passionate groovers showing up to support their own.
Mzamo’s grand arrival was nothing short of iconic. Escorted in a branded taxi blasting Gqom and accompanied by Umqhumo dancers, the atmosphere was on fire before the event hit the stage. “Spotify has shown me love just like a mom would,” said Mgilane. “There is no home without a mother. I needed MOM.”
Also bringing the heat was Reneiloe Seemane, aka The Whistler Girl, whose signature whistle-and-dance act has taken Amapiano culture by storm since her viral COVID-era videos. As the MC for the night, she kept the vibes on a high – iStove besiku 6 as local influential figures like Mandisa Kheswa and Luyanda Nyembe danced alongside the roaring crowd.
Spotify data confirms what KwaMashu already knows: Gqom is hotter than ever. In the past year alone, the genre has seen a 105% year-on-year growth in South African listenership, racking up nearly 162 million streams. iGqom iyavutha!
“MOM is more than just a city takeover, it’s a love letter to South African creativity,” said Bea Theron, Experiential Marketing Manager at Spotify Sub-Saharan Africa. “To see the community rally behind artists like Mzamo and witness the organic rise of local talent is exactly why we created MOM. Durban brought the fire; this is just the beginning.”
As the dust settles on an unforgettable six weeks, one thing is clear: Durban’s youth culture is alive, loud, and leading the beat. Spotify’s MOM simply amplified what was already there and Durban responded in full force.
Head over to the SPOTIFYMOM.COM album to check out all the campaign images and videos.