Filah Lah Lah Announced As Apple Music Up Next Artist In SA
Apple Music announces South African R&B singer and songwriter Filah Lah Lah (real name Reabetswe Fila Ranamane) as the latest artist in its South Africa Up Next program, a local version of their global emerging artist platform which they launched early in 2021.
“Being selected as Apple Music’s Up Next South Africa artist for November is truly an honor and a dream come true. It’s so important for someone like me, with their own look and their own style, to be given a voice and spotlight, because it inspires others to do the same,” she tells Apple Music.
It was Filah Lah Lah’s father who made sure that she was exposed to the excellence of black musicians from an early age, introducing her to everything from jazz to funk to soul.
Inspired by jazz greats like Nina Simone, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane, masters of R&B like Marvin Gaye, Betty Wright and Smokey Robinson, and the energy of ‘90s hip hop, Filah Lah Lah poured her unique artistry into her debut EP Filahsofy (2020).
Her second EP We’re Gonna Be Just Fine (2021), available to stream on Apple Music, shows her immense growth both through restrained vocals and sensual soundscapes, taking on a more ambient and harmonic tone.
As the newest Up Next artist to be spotlighted in South Africa, Filah Lah Lah will be featured across Apple Music’s South African Up Next playlist. The curated playlist features a dynamic class of new and emerging artists, thoughtfully hand-picked by Apple Music editors from around the world.The playlist is genre agnostic and represents a line-up of artists their global editors are passionate about and eager to expose to a larger audience.
The vast global Up Next roster of past talent includes Grammy-nominated and critically lauded talent like 6lack, Daniel Caesar, H.E.R., Greta Van Fleet, Khalid, Amy Shark, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Claudio, Sigrid, Mr Eazi, Stefflon Don, Bad Bunny, Juice WLRD, Bazzi, Jax Jones, NCT 127, Summer Walker, Tierra Whack, Dean Lewis, Pink Sweat$, Koffee, Megan Thee Stallion, Burna Boy, Clairo, Lunay, Jessie Reyez, Orville Peck, Victoria Monét, Ingrid Andress, Conan Gray, Don Toliver, Rema, BENEE, Holly Humberstone, Natanael Cano, Givēon, beabadoobee, Arlo Parks, Tate McRae, Fousheé and Tems.
