Tyla wears a Diotima dress.
Litchi went to work, experimenting with a routine during a rolling blackout in Johannesburg.
I sent her a rough draft, and she lost her mind, says Litchi.
Tyla wears a Diotima dress. Khiry hoops.
It also won her a Grammy for best African music performance in February.
A Grammy was always a goal, she says.
But never in a million years could I have fathomed it would happen this soon.
Omar Apollo wears a Commission T-shirt and pants.
Born and raised in Johannesburg, Tyla saw herself as a performer from an early age.
A classic middle child, she made her parents and siblings her first audience: I was the attention-seeker.
After high school, she persuaded her parents to let her take a gap year to pursue music.
Gracie Abrams wears a Palomo Spain top. Agolde jeans. Brother Vellies shoes.
People dont know I can be spicy, but I can be spicy!
Shes a South African girl speaking to the world through dance, through music.
Cat Cardenas
Omar Apollo wears a Commission T-shirt and pants.
From left: Sophia Laforteza wears Renaissance Renaissance. Lara Raj wears a Christopher John Rogers dress and Albertus Swanepoel hat. Megan Skiendiel wears a Patricia Voto top and Renaissance Renaissance skirt and hat. Manon Bannerman wears a Wiederhoeft top and Renaissance Renaissance skirt. Daniela Avanzini wears a Nicklas Skovgaard jacket, Renaissance Renaissance skirt, Gigi Burris hat, and Theory shoes. Yoonchae Jeong wears a Claire Sullivan top, skirt, and sash and Theory shoes.
I like to go where things are uncomfortable, or complex, says Omar Apollo.
Making music isnt easy.
Thats why Ive dedicated a lot of my life to it.
But seeing peoples expressions, its huge.
Those songs helped me find where I was going, he says.
And this year, there is new music on the way.
Music gave me a feeling, a sparkle, he says.
I wasnt really thinking about it, he says, looking back.
My brain was just on autopilot.
He recorded one whole version ofIvory,then scrapped it and started over.
I had to discover myself, he says.
That sense of clarity is crucial for Apollo, who values his instincts.
It was a little too quiet, he jokes.
The neighbors slipped him notes outlining their objections to the volume of Apollos speakers.
In between recording, hed invite friends on bike rides through its many parks.
Aside from the occasional noise complaint, the cloudy skies of Londona contrast to sunny LAsuited him.
Ive talked to my therapist about it, but I really like being in a different place.
In this case, dislocation added perhaps an even greater force to his new work.
I get kind of lost in the process of making music, he acknowledges.
Im surfacing emotions, and Im not zoomed out.
But later, I am like, Wow, I really wrote this from my soul.
I felt this really deeply.
CC
Gracie Abrams wears a Palomo Spain top.
Nearly two weeks after Grammys night, the 24-year-old is still reeling.
Abramss big breakthrough had a long windup.
She credits Swift with creating an atmosphere that, wherever they played, felt comfortingly intimate and familiar.
The Eras Tour is at a scale I couldnt have imagined, Abrams notes.
You feel like youre in front of your friends.
And Abrams is only just getting started.
Marley Marius
From left: Sophia Laforteza wears Renaissance Renaissance.
Lara Raj wears a Christopher John Rogers dress and Albertus Swanepoel hat.
Megan Skiendiel wears a Patricia Voto top and Renaissance Renaissance skirt and hat.
Manon Bannerman wears a Wiederhoeft top and Renaissance Renaissance skirt.
Daniela Avanzini wears a Nicklas Skovgaard jacket, Renaissance Renaissance skirt, Gigi Burris hat, and Theory shoes.
Yoonchae Jeong wears a Claire Sullivan top, skirt, and sash and Theory shoes.
If the name Katseye isnt familiar to you now, that is sure to change very, very soon.
Adds Megan, Were ecstatic to present a song that reflects our unique experiences and personalities.
Its a track thats true to us and tells a relatable story.
Each person has had their own struggles, wins, and memorable moments throughout this journey, says Sophia.
She feels that the Netflix series will provide a deeper dive into the reality of reaching for the dream.
MM
Hair, Lacy Redway; makeup, Holly Silius using YSL Beauty.
Produced by Family Projects.
Set Design by Olivia Giles.
