Who’s on in Cape Town: Artists To Look Out For in 2026

Cape Town is home to many talented, up-and-coming artists from diverse backgrounds and performing across a variety of genres. Whether it’s the ever-thriving jazz scene, the unstoppable underground, or the viral pop stars, there’s always someone new to listen to in the Mother City.

These are our recommendations for artists and bands to follow before they take over the world and start selling out the DHL Stadium.

giuliette price

A dynamic singer-songwriter known for her deeply sentimental songwriting and often haunting vocals, giuliette price has become a mainstay in Cape Town’s live jazz scene over recent years. In 2025, she released her EP Anxiously Preoccupied, with tracks like Seeking Happiness and Only One showing off her vulnerable lyricism and soulful voice. She is signed to the label Quiet Life alongside other rising South African artists, and has shared stages with artists like Zoë Modiga and Alice Phoebe Lou.

After reaching the heights of performing at the Cape Town International Jazz Fest earlier this year, she was unfortunately forced to step back from music temporarily while recovering from TB. She has since returned to the stage, performing as part of the HEAT Music Festival and Radisson RED’s Winter Playlist.

Her latest release, Gabby, is back on streaming platforms after popular demand, alongside a fully produced music video. A true return to form, the song details the crushing heartbreak of a messy breakup, with price delivering some of her most impressive vocal work to date atop a glittery instrumental.

Instagram: @giuliette_price
Spotify: giuliette price
Apple Music: giuliette price

Cistamatic

The darlings of Cape Town’s thriving punk scene, Cistamatic is a three-piece band consisting of Gabbi le Roux, Ethan Pelser, and James Turner. Chances are, if you’re going to a grungy rock show in and around the city, Cistamatic is on the lineup.

They’ve been releasing music for a while, debuting their first album, Now That’s What I Call Cistamatic, in 2023, and following up with Fear is the Weapon in 2025. Their music is loud, with crashing guitars and thumping drums backing le Roux’s frontwoman vocals, which move between pop-like singing and art-punk howling.

At Olivia Rodrigo’s women-focused Daisy Chain Fields Music Festival, Cistamatic were included in an exhibition about the Riot Grrrl movement of underground feminist punk bands and artists, highlighting their work and influence in the South African alternative scene.

Instagram: @cistamaticmusic
Spotify: Cistamatic
Apple Music: Cistamatic

Operation Khataza

An eight-person group of artists making avant-garde, genre-blending music that incorporates everything from rock and funk to Afro-jazz, Operation Khataza is a one-of-a-kind outfit. Just like the anti-Apartheid jazz maestros of old, Khataza infuses their music with dynamic compositions and a decidedly revolutionary sentiment.

No track is more emblematic of this energy than their first single, Mantra, which developed over months and live performances into a politically charged war cry that dynamically shifts from harmonious choirs to bass-backed spoken word. Their live shows have a tremendous sense of momentum, getting the audience off their seats and into the rhythm – bringing the spirit that Mother City performances desperately need.

Their new single, Azania, is set to be released on 10 September, with a single release party slated at the Pink Room at the Gorgeous George Hotel. In their words: Azania as a term was adopted by Pan-Africanists during the anti-apartheid struggle as an anti-colonial name, and in the song it becomes a metaphor for the soil itself and our relationship to it.

Instagram: @operation.khataza
Spotify: Operation Khataza
Apple Music: Operation Khataza

Have any suggestions for other up-and-coming, Cape Town-based artists? Send recommendations for future inclusions to [email protected].