The upcoming music release, Ukhethe Mina, is set to launch on 27 September 2024, with an exclusive early release on 13 September 2024 available on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, and Beatport.
Ukhethe Mina continues to explore the layered conversations of queerness and spirituality, diving deeper into existential questions first introduced in Altar Call, the musician’s sophomore project released in May 2024.
A spiritual club banger if there ever was one, Ukhethe Mina is an emotionally rousing dance floor crowd-puller.
Produced by Audio Addicts, it blends the spirituality of Amapiano hits like Kabza De Small’s “Imithandazo” and production qualities of DJ Lag’s “Hade Boss.”
An era defined by the principle,”Existence is Resistance”, GYRE as they are known for short, has used his musical platform to subvert and push discourse around queer artistry both narratively and sonically.
The genre-bending Altar Call project boasted fusions of Amapiano, jazz, hip hop, kwaito and afro-pop. Whilst themes of love, spirituality and its intersectional relationship of consequence with sexuality were tactfully explored.
“I intended to use this era to speak on my lived experience as a queer man from a nuanced perspective. Ukhethe Mina is definitely the peak of this,”
said the first openly gay rapper to perform at Back To The City in 2023.
“I’ve mastered how to use experiences unique to me and/or queer people in a way that illustrates our humanity without pandering to the status quo.”
S’BO GYRE has used his penmanship to flesh out these themes through opinion pieces like “God, Gays & G-Strings” and “Damn, I’m transphobic” for the Sunday Times and look forward to using their literary skills to do the same in the future.
“I’ve just learnt to be smarter about how I share my intellectualised thoughts on the lived queer experience with my community and beyond. The Nkoli Vogue Opera is an example of that. It taught me to not be bound by popular conventions of art and queerness. I’m just soaking in every opportunity to express and showcase myself.”
The multi-media production he co-wrote with Emmy nominated and veteran composer, Philip Miller, is set to run at the Baxter theatre in Cape Town from the 9-19th October. Emblematic of his subversion of genre and their unapologetic queerness, this is yet another illustration of their multi-disciplinary prowess.
With Ukhethe Mina primed to further cement his standing as an Entertainment Specialist and more show-stopping performances lined-up, S’BO GYRE is one to watch for the remainder of the year as they continue to use their voice to nuance queer discourse with the upcoming release.
