The music of Eswatini is composed of both ethnic Swazi music and varieties of folk music as well as modern genres such as rock, pop and hip hop, which has been popular in Eswatini since headed by bands such as Vamoose. The popularity of hip hop in South Africa, which shares a border with Eswatini, has also helped popularize it. Today the music industry of Eswatini is growing, with more young and vibrant musicians emerging in the scene proving to be worthy of the crown.
The country consists of two major music festivals with the latter being traditional ceremonies where music is sung but is not the purpose of the events. Eswatini has been known to host the annual MTN Bush-Fire Festival which is held in May uniting artists and music lovers from around the globe. Another prominent event is the Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival which is a feast of music, fashion, culinary exploits, and connoisseur led premium wine & whiskey showcases. Traditional festivals worth noting in the country are Incwala and Umhlanga.[1] The former takes place in December while the latter takes place in August. Umhlanga is known for its dance, performed exclusively by women, and its 5-day ceremony, which involves reed-cutting.[1] Traditional instruments used include: the kudu horn, calabash, rattles, makeyana and reed flute.[1]
With Eswatini being a small country, there's only a handful of artists who have made a name worth remembering in the music scene. One of the top challenges Eswatini musicians face is the lack of a system that creates a functioning music industry i.e. a royalty collecting system. Thus, most artists are faced with the dilemma of having to register with foreign music royalty collecting organizations as means to make a little something off their work of artistry. In most cases, artists in the country see less to no returns from such moves. With more talent emerging and proving to be worthy of the crown we are hoping to see a positive change in such a small but rich industry.