Uncle Waffles

Amapiano DJ and producer

ViralJohannesburg (born in Eswatini)

Trend Meter 78

602 000 YouTube subscribers

Bio

Uncle Waffles is Lungelihle Zwane, born in Eswatini in 2000, a former television presenter who taught herself to DJ during the 2020 lockdowns — by her own account practising eight hours a day. Her sets treat amapiano as performance: log-drum-heavy selections delivered with the loose, joyful dancing that made her name.

That name arrived overnight in October 2021, when a clip of her filling in for a withdrawn DJ at Zone 6 in Soweto went viral. Debut single Tanzania (2022) topped the South African chart and is certified seven-times platinum; Beyoncé sampled it on the Renaissance World Tour. A BBC Radio 1 residency, a BET nomination and a 2023 Coachella slot — the first for an amapiano act — followed, along with four EPs, from Red Dragon to 4 Da Ho's, and near-constant international touring through 2024 and 2025.

Verified facts

Became the first amapiano musician to perform at Coachella (2023).Wikipedia
Debut single Tanzania (2022) reached number 1 in South Africa and is certified 7× platinum.Wikipedia
Rose to prominence after an October 2021 video of her set at Zone 6 in Soweto, where she was filling in for a withdrawn DJ, went viral.Wikipedia
Handed a BBC Radio 1 residency in 2022 and nominated for the BET Award for Best International Act in 2023; Beyonce sampled Tanzania on the Renaissance World Tour.Wikipedia
Has released the EPs Red Dragon (2022), Asylum (2023), Solace (2023) and 4 Da Ho's (2024), and toured internationally in 2024-2025.Wikipedia
Born Lungelihle Zwane in 2000 in Eswatini; worked as a presenter on Eswatini TV's Studio1 and taught herself to DJ during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, practising eight hours a day.Wikipedia