Uncle Waffles

Uncle Waffles is Lungelihle Zwane, a DJ and producer born in Eswatini on 30 March 2000 and based in South Africa. She first touched a set of decks at Studio1 on Eswatini TV, where she worked as a presenter, and taught herself properly during the 2020 lockdowns, practising for hours every day.

In October 2021, filling in for another DJ at Zone 6 in Soweto, she was filmed dancing behind the decks to Young Stunna’s “Adiwele”. The clip went viral worldwide. Her first single, “Tanzania” (March 2022), went to number one in South Africa and seven times platinum, and it led the Red Dragon EP. That year she toured the UK, got a BBC Radio 1 residency and was the only DJ at Global Citizen Festival in Accra.

The Asylum EP (2023), with “Yahyuppiyah”, went gold within a week. That April she became the first amapiano act to play Coachella, and Beyoncé used “Tanzania” on her Renaissance tour. Solace, 4 Da Ho’s (2024) and 4 Da Streets! (2026) followed, and Billboard calls her the Princess of Amapiano.