Lior Phillips

From the storied ache of mbube harmonies of the ‘40s to the electronic boom of kwaito and the amapiano and house explosion of the ‘00s, South African Popular Music explores vignettes taken from across South Africa’s popular music history. There are moments in time where music can be a mighty weapon in the fight for freedom. Disguised in a danceable...

By 1998, Cher seemed fated to fade off into the pop sunset. Her time of being half of pop music’s “It couple,” of releasing chart-topping singles, of having her own TV show, and starring in box office-breaking movies, was coming to an end. But then Believe and a new invention called auto-tune changed everything. Pop has always been a young...