Levi’s® and COLORSxSTUDIOS EMERGENT Program Spotlights lordkez
- Phemelo Sui Moipolai
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
There are moments in an artist's journey that feel less like milestones and more like confirmations. For South African singer-songwriter lordkez, her latest collaboration with Levi’s® and COLORSxSTUDIOS arrives as one of those moments.
Announced as the South African representative in EMERGENT, the global music discovery platform created by Levi’s® and COLORSxSTUDIOS, lordkez joins a select group of artists being spotlighted at pivotal stages of their careers. Her debut A COLORS SHOW performance premiered on 1 June 2026, introducing her artistry to a wider international audience while reinforcing what many across South Africa's music landscape already know: lordkez is one of the country's most distinctive contemporary voices.
Born in Kimberley and shaped by movement across cultures and borders, lordkez has steadily crafted a catalogue rooted in emotional honesty, sonic experimentation and deeply personal storytelling. Her award-winning album Testamentpositioned her among the leading voices in South African R&B, while collaborations with artists such as Shekhinah, Bas, Jelani Blackman and Cassper Nyovest have demonstrated both versatility and global appeal.
For her COLORS debut, lordkez unveils a brand-new track, Wena Fela, offering listeners an early glimpse into her forthcoming album. Recorded at COLORSxSTUDIOS in Brooklyn, New York, the performance captures the intimacy and vulnerability that have become hallmarks of her songwriting.
"The journey in discovering my personal identity has happened through my greatest passion, which is making music," says lordkez. "I found myself becoming more of myself with every new step I took."
EMERGENT:
Beyond the performance itself, the EMERGENT campaign explores the artist behind the music through two accompanying profile films. Side A / Side B presents a dual portrait of lordkez through contrasting moods and personal artefacts, unpacking the intersections of identity, creativity and style. Meanwhile, 5:01 references Levi’s iconic 501® jeans while documenting a reflective moment in the artist's day, exploring themes of self-discovery, purpose and becoming.
The partnership feels particularly fitting. Much like the artists who have emerged through the COLORS ecosystem before her, lordkez represents a generation of musicians creating without borders. Her music exists comfortably between local and global influences, carrying the textures of South African soul while speaking to universal experiences of growth, love and self-definition.
As EMERGENT continues its rollout across Mexico, South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Japan, lordkez's inclusion signals more than individual recognition. It is another reminder of South Africa's growing influence within contemporary global music culture and the increasing visibility of artists who are defining their own lanes rather than following established formulas.
For lordkez, this is not the destination. It is simply the next chapter.
And if Wena Fela is any indication, the story is only getting started.
Listen to lordkez's debut performance of Wena Fela on A COLORS SHOW, now streaming on Spotify.
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