Apple Music today announced the latest cover star in its Africa Rising artist development program is South African R&B songstress, Filah Lah Lah (real name Reabetswe Fila Ranamane).
“Being chosen as the Africa Rising artist feels absolutely incredible,” she tells Apple Music. “Thank you so much to Apple Music for supporting local R&B talent like myself. Thank you to my fans for riding as hard as you have been since day one. Peace!’”
As a child, Filah Lah Lah thought that the way that she spoke and looked, and the thoughts that she had, were different to everyone else, and because of this she felt “other”. Music was the creative outlet that allowed Filah to embrace that “other” and to revel in it. Her father also made sure that she was exposed to the excellence of black musicians from an early age, playing everything from jazz to funk to soul to shape her musical consciousness.
Consequently inspired by jazz icons like Nina Simone, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane, masters of R&B like Marvin Gaye, Betty Wright and Smokey Robinson, and the energy of ‘90s hip hop, Filah Lah Lah poured her unique artistry into her debut EP Filahsofy (2020). And while her debut EP was an intimate snapshot of her life, her second EP We’re Gonna Be Just Fine (2021), showed her immense growth both through restrained vocals and sensual soundscapes, taking on a more ambient and harmonic tone.
On her debut album ON AIR (2024), available to stream on Apple Music, Filah Lah Lah explores this deep-rooted idea of identity, belonging, and self-discovery across a massive 18 songs. The fashioning of this R&B-rooted album also serves as a sounding board for Filah Lah Lah, exemplary of who and what she wants to be as a consummate artist.
The latest music from Filah Lah Lah along with that of Africa’s hottest new artists, is available now on the Apple Music Africa Rising Playlist.
