DJ Shimza shines in New York and Miami

DJ Shimza played to a sold-out, jam-packed audience over the weekend at Quantum Brooklyn in New York City. Shimza, born Ashley Raphala in Swaziland and who grew up in Thembisa, Ekhurhuleni — has been on a non-stop world tour since the beginning of April. His US tour began on October 6.

“It was my first time playing in New York, quite an exciting but also a nerve-racking experience leading up to the show,” explained Shimza to TshisaLIVE. “I didn’t know what to expect and wondered if I would be able to sell tickets to my own show. But we sold out the venue and people really loved it. I also enjoyed myself — the vibe and atmosphere was amazing.”
South African Pam Mbatani, based in New York, attended the show. “I first saw Shimza performing in Ibiza and I was so impressed by his energy,” she said. “When Shimza played Osama by Zakes Bantwini, the crowd went wild! Everyone was dancing non-stop and New Yorkers, who are normally a tough crowd — were so warm and welcoming.” Ashanti Zwedala, visiting New York from Cape Town, loved the vibe and atmosphere. “People were waving SA flags in the air that were displayed on their phones. I loved Shimza’s passion, energy, modesty that comes so naturally to him — and he is very much at one with people.”

Portia Mncube from SA also attended the event. “Shimza’s performance was electrifying. He had the audience fully engaged and dancing for four hours straight, and people still wanted more at the end of it!” DJ Shimza played his final US tour dates in New York and Miami this weekend. “The tour has been great! I loved that I got to connect with different people in different parts of the US. My favourites will have to be LA, Denver, and New York. As for Miami, the last stop on the US tour — I’ve always wanted to play at LIV and finally it’s happened. After Miami, I head back to Colombia, then Santorini in Greece, before heading back home for SA.”

In addition to the performances, networking has come together for the DJ. “I’m looking forward to more connections and collaborations with people I connected with this side. The world has warmed up to the Afro house sound and I’ve already built some great connections in Europe, so 2023 should be very interesting.”

DJ Shimza looks forward to returning to SA after the tour. “My message to my South African family is that on December 17, we are all meeting at Sun Arena in Pretoria where I’ll be sharing all the music and learnings I got from the tour.”