Last night at Playground in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, Jägermeister and Africori celebrated the launch of the music video for uMlando, the platinum smash hit and dance challenge by 9umba, Mdoovar, and Toss that features Sino Msolo, Lady Du, Young Stunna, Sir Trill and Slade. The video will be available on YouTube from Friday at 12:00 noon.
The song received the nation’s attention after a video of Toss doing the now famous uMlando challenge went viral. The viral dance challenge that sparked thousands of videos by fans country-wide, now has an official music video sponsored by Jägermeister and music distribution company Africori. “It’s great to see a dance that started as a social media sensation turn into a whole music video! I definitely had fun rocking with everybody on set,” says Toss.
https://www.tiktok.com/@rikyrickworld/video/7049657546616999169?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Whilst on stage receiving their Platinum Plaques from Africori, Mdoovar commented, “uMlando is proof that there is always power in numbers, we are stronger together than apart.”
The trio is made up of music producers (9umba and Mdoovar) and vocalist (Toss) who before their uMlando smash, had been struggling to break into the industry for years. An excited 9umba said “uMlando has changed our lives and has given us hope since we’ve been the underdogs for too long.”
Jägermeister Experiential Manager
For Jägermeister, sponsoring the video was a natural fit. The brand is hugely popular in the Amapiano scene. Bea Theron, Jägermeister Experiential Manager said, “We first took notice of uMlando when the #UmlandoChallenge started trending online. We saw people doing the dance move with a bottle of Jägermeister in hand and knew the groundwork was done. It was now our time to support this movement in the biggest way possible through funding those creatives pushing this genre forward.”
The uMlando stats speak for themselves and give Africori a reason to celebrate. After its January 2021 release it has had 270 million views on TikTok and 112 000 Videos created. The group has achieved South African Platinum record status with over 7 500 000 + streams on DSPs.
Says Africori CEO Yoel Kenan of the video (produced by Edible Elevens and directed by Kmane), “This video perfectly embodies the energy, fashion and creativity of the most exciting sound coming from the continent. The uMlando video is going to capture the hearts of millions of people in South Africa and around the world. We at Africori are very proud to be associated with such great talents.”
As the party heated up, Jägermeister’s Theron concluded “Amapiano is an infectious genre. The hybrid of sounds and the spirit of collaboration aligns it perfectly with Jägermeister. Our narrative of best nights, irreverence and disruptiveness. This is not Jägermeister’s first time supporting this movement, and it’s most definitely not our last. We’re taking Amapiano to The World, together!”