NEW QUEENS OF GQOM? SUNORNZA JUST MADE THEIR MOVE

Afrotainment’s done it again. The powerhouse label that gave us DJ Tira, Big Nuz, and a whole legacy of Gqom greatness just dropped its latest wild card: a fierce, female duo called SunOrnza—and they didn’t come to play. They came to shake the genre from the inside out.

Their self-titled debut EP is already sounding like a warning siren. It’s loud, proud, and drenched in that raw Durban energy that made Gqom what it is. But where this project really turns heads is in how unapologetically feminine it is. Gqom, for the longest time, has been dominated by male energy. Now here come Sunshine and Ornica with their own frequency—just as aggressive, just as unrelenting, but with a perspective we don’t hear enough: women running things, not waiting for an invite.

The EP is stacked. It’s basically a who's who of the genre, with features from DJ Tira himself, Captain, Campmasters, Emza, Assiye Bongzin, BenTen, Naked Souls—the list reads like a Gqom Avengers lineup. And yet, SunOrnza never get drowned out. Their presence cuts through every track, and when they split up across different songs—like Sunshine leading Makoti Ekhishini and Ornica holding it down solo on Drip Drip—it’s clear: these aren’t just collabs, they’re experiments in chemistry, and every one hits.

There’s a lot going on beneath the surface too. Tracks like Makoti Ekhishini aren’t just catchy—they carry a message. There's storytelling, there’s defiance, there’s culture. And yes, there’s bass that’ll rattle your bones if the speaker’s right, but there’s also intention. It’s Gqom with a pulse and a purpose.

Rooted deep in Durban, the sound stays loyal to the streets that birthed it. But SunOrnza isn’t local-only—they’re broadcasting a new kind of energy across the country and beyond. There’s already buzz from Gagasi FM, and early drops from major tastemakers are giving them the green light. The visuals coming with the rollout? Bold, chaotic, and fly. Just like the music.

SunOrnza isn’t just another group. They’re a moment. One that could open the floodgates for more women in Gqom, more fearless expression, and more music that pushes things forward. They’re not knocking on the door—they’ve already kicked it open.

Whether the city’s ready or not, SunOrnza has arrived. And Gqom might never sound the same again.