With his upcoming debut EP, “Seasons”, Lloyiso (whose last name is Gijana) is a blooming young talent with the world at his feet.
Now signed with Universal South Africa and its affiliate US label Republic Records, which is home to an embarrassment of talent that includes the likes of Drake, Post Malone and Taylor Swift, Lloyiso now has a support structure befitting his immense talents.
Earlier this week, the 24-year-old hosted a private “storytelling session” for “Seasons” at Universal Music South Africa’s live space, which is set for release on March 31.
Seated on the stage in front of a few dozen media, friends and label personnel, Lloyiso unpacks what this EP is all about and shares some insight into his journey thus far.
“I’ve always known that what I can do is beyond me,” he says, speaking on his global aspirations.
“It’s not even me that’s controlling this whole narrative. It’s God . I’m driven by a spiritual entity. Even if I can be like, ‘I’m done with this. I give up’. It always brings me back to this moment.
“I’ve gotten this far going through the utmost struggle and pain. I go through a lot of struggle and pain trying to make this work. Is it really worth it? But something inside of me told me that it was worth it.
“And, at that point, I’m like, there’s no way that I’m just doing this to just be a singer at the back of my room.
“This is something that the world needs to see, and everybody in the world needs to feel this emotion and love and overwhelming feeling that comes with my words.”
Lloyiso is keenly aware of the power his music has. Not in an arrogant way, but as a matter of fact.
Lloyiso’s journey in the limelight began back in 2015, when, at the tender age of 16, he appeared on “Idols SA”. Impressively, he went on to place fifth.
Over the years, as he tried to find his feet in the industry, he’d go on to consistently gain recognition across the globe through his incredible covers on Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.
And while he scored a record deal with the highly successful local independent label Ambitiouz Entertainment, things didn’t go quite as planned.
Then, one day in 2021, while he was back home in the Eastern Cape and pondering his future, Kgosi Mahumapelo, who owns Ambitiouz, called and explained that Republic Records wanted to sign him.
He grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
“Lloyiso has all the makings of a career superstar — knock out vocals, incredible song-writing, and an amazing story to tell,” commented Republic Records Executive Vice President of A&R, Brett Alperowitz, upon signing him.
“He’s the rare talent who not only transcends genres but crosses borders as well.”
It hasn’t taken long for this new set-up to start paying dividends. Lloyiso’s latest single, “Run”, which dropped just last month, is on an upward trajectory across streaming platforms and radio charts.
"I’m gonna fly, gonna reach the sky, take up all the space and time. I just wanna run,” he croons on “Run”.
Prior to “Run“, he released “Let Me Love You Now” and ”What Would I Say”, both successful singles which have already racked up millions of streams.
But the stand-out release has been the global smash hit title track, “Seasons”, which he released back in September of 2021.
Shortly after he signed his current record deal, the label flew him out to the US to work with some of the best producers and songwriters in the world.
He says he made “good songs” during that trip, but they didn’t quite hit the spot for him.
“It wasn’t until I came back that I went into my room, and I honed in and created a couple of songs. I made about 10 to 11 songs in L.A., and only one of them is actually on the EP. All of these songs that are on the EP I made in my living room.”
Throughout the storytelling session, he plays some of the songs on the project.
Naturally, love is a prominent theme on here. But there’s also Lloyiso exploring sadness and the intricacies of the world we live in.
“Basically, it is the seasons of life,” he says of the EP.
“We go through a lot. We go through stages where we’re extremely happy and stages where we’re extremely sad. I remember one of the songs on here. I was crying, singing IT on the mic.
“It’s vulnerable and it’s raw. I’ve got nothing that I want to hide about being a person.”