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Yet another group of South African musicians are making their mark on the global stage – this time it's a cappella group The Joy who made SA proud when clips of their electrifying performance with Doja Cat at Coachella went viral on social media.
The group, from KwaZulu-Natal, includes Sphelele Sandile Hlophe, Melokuhle Mkhungo, Phelelani Sithole, Ntokozo Bright Magcaba and Sanele Ngcobo.
In the clip they can be seen harmonising with Doja Cat as she performs her hit Shutcho.
They joined her as they danced and performed for massive crowds on the final night of the music festival which took place at the Empire Polo Club in California.
“It was crazy fun! We had the time of our lives on and off stage,” the group tells YOU.
“It was nerve-wracking at first but as soon as we saw how cool Doja Cat and the team was and how they welcomed us in a warm way, we immediately felt comfortable and knocked it out."
The Joy flew to the US early in April to meet the rapper and to rehearse – an unbelievable moment for them, they say.
“She was the sweetest person to us. She said she was grateful that we joined her and at no point did she make us feel that she was the superstar and we were just a feature."
The singer said she’s been a fan of theirs since 2020 and had always wanted to perform with them.
They spent a week of with the singer and her team in Las Vegas, using a replica of the Coachella stage in an indoor arena to rehearse the songs, choreography and styling.
The production team was made up of 135 people including some of the biggest names in showbiz, such as Parris Goebel, who choreographed Rihanna's Superbowl performance, and Darion Ja'von, whose worked with Usher, Ice Spice and many others.
It’s a dream come true for the guys who met and started their group in 2018, when they were pupils at Sikhethuxolo High School.
They’ve gone from posting videos of their performances on social media to working with superstars like James Blake and getting noticed by Jennifer Hudson, Chris Brown and Alicia Keys.
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“We hope to collaborate with Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, Travis Scott, Ed Sheeran, SanDave and Wizkid in the near future," they say.
