A 16-year-old artist is making waves all over the world, including South Africa, with his 2019 release Universe. Los Angeles-based ASTROJAXX worked with Argentian artist Mechi Pieretti to create his second-ever song, his debut single Back To You was released in 2017. The classically trained pianist turned producer is shaking the EDM world.
His song Universe made the top 10 on streaming platform JOOX South Africa’s ‘What’s New’ playlist alongside big names Sam Smith, Beyoncé, and NAS. It’s great that his music is doing well here, because ASTROJAXX plans to work in South Africa for his next music project.
Universe is a complete bop, combining English and Spanish vocals with tropical and reggaeton elements. It’s no wonder that the song is popular even in South Africa.
“When your music is accepted in other countries it’s truly a compliment”
“I’m thrilled that Universe resonated with the people of South Africa because that is something you can never plan,” ASTROJAXX said in an interview with The Daily Vox. The artist says he’s visited South Africa and will be working on a music project in the country next. “This is a great start for what’s coming in the future… When your music is accepted in other countries it’s truly a compliment,” he said.
When ASTROJAXX visited South Africa, he spent time visiting musicians and singers. “Although I didn’t speak their language, that wasn’t important because we connected through music,” he said. The artist says music is a universal language. “I made friends playing drums and dancing with the South African people. We didn’t need to communicate via words to become friends. Music is something that draws people together no matter what country they’re from or what language they speak,” ASTROJAXX said.
Dance is universal too, he said. The video of Universe, produced by Louri Rodriguez, features dancers from different countries around the world.
ASTROJAXX has listened to South African music while visiting the continent and in LA too, and is a fan of gqom. “I’ve recently spent time with a Ghanaian artist here in Los Angeles, Blaq Pages, who’s an African music expert. He introduced me to gqom which is an incredible genre. I’ve also visited Los Globos, a club in Los Angeles, where Pages performs and it’s frequented by people of all nationalities. As much as ‘Universe’ is popular in South Africa, African music is popular in so many countries, including America,” he said.
You can listen to Universe here.
