Who is Dlala Thukzin?

Dlala Thukzin (Thuthuka Zindlovu) is one of South Africa’s most in-demand DJ/producers, a Durban-born craftsman who fuses gqom’s chest-rattling percussion with Amapiano’s log-drum bounce and Afro/tech colors. He’s behind 2023’s inescapable national anthem “iPlan” with Zaba and Sykes and, in 2025, he’s doubled down with fresh music, viral DJ sets and high-charting collaborations that keep his name circulating across radio, playlists and club booths.

As of August 2025, his Spotify artist page shows roughly 1.94 million monthly listeners—a scale that puts him shoulder-to-shoulder with the global ‘piano elite while he continues waving the Durban flag.

Origins and rise: from Durban rhythm architect to national mainstay

Thukzin emerged in the late 2010s out of KwaZulu-Natal’s gqom continuum, but his early singles made clear he wasn’t content to color inside genre lines. 2021’s “Phuze” (with Zaba) and its 2021 remix featuring Mpura, Sir Trill and Rascoe Kaos sparked a national debate about whether the track was gqom, Afro house or Amapiano; the single later received platinum certification in South Africa, while the original was certified gold, and it peaked at #14 on The Official South African Charts. That moment foreshadowed his producer identity: an arranger who treats the log drum like a melody, the kick like a conversation, and the piano like a hook.

The breakout: “iPlan” becomes a generational hit

Released 15 September 2023 on the EP Permanent Music 3, “iPlan” turned Dlala Thukzin from club hero into chart phenomenon. Within two weeks the song passed 2 million Spotify streams; it later hit #1 on Billboard South Africa Songs and topped RiSA’s Local & International streaming charts before being certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry of South Africa. South African press covered the song’s runaway status, reporting multiple weeks of platform dominance through late 2023. The official video continues to accumulate views, anchoring his setlists and feeding fan-shot dance clips on socials.

Albums and key releases: a steady pipeline to the floor

Across 2022–2025, Thukzin kept a tight release cadence. Finally Famous (Nov 25, 2022) laid the ground for broader experiments. Permanent Music 3 (Sept 15, 2023) delivered “iPlan” and became the creative pivot. In 2024, Finally Famous Too arrived on September 27, expanding his vocal universe and delivering stream-facing highlights like “Sohlala Sisonke.” And in 2025 he returned with the eight-track 031 Studio Camp 2.0 (April 25), a concise, DJ-minded set that foregrounds the 3-step/bacardi-adjacent rhythms he now deploys in live shows. Apple Music listings verify all dates, and Spotify/trackers tally the sustained audience growth around these releases.

2025: fresh chart action with “Mali” and a Spotify surge

From 031 Studio Camp 2.0, “Mali” (with Zee Nxumalo, featuring Sykes) has been the 2025 calling card: Apple Music lists the track on the album and as a standalone entry, and the official video rollout has been pushed across YouTube and TikTok by label partners. On Spotify’s South Africa daily charts in August 2025, Dlala Thukzin is also highly visible as a featured artist on “uValo” (Jazzworx, Thukuthela & Babalwa M feat. Dlala Thukzin), with posts and chart scrapes documenting a climb into the national Top 5 and daily stream counts north of 80–90k. All of this activity sits atop an artist profile now clearing ~1.94M monthly listeners, with third-party trackers recording rapid growth in total plays through mid-2025.

Sound design 101: the Thukzin blueprint

Thukzin’s sound starts in Durban: thick low-mid percussion, call-and-response vocal pockets, and a drum chair that punches like gqom even when he’s playing piano-led grooves. But his signatures are broader: he sculpts the log drum as a melodic instrument rather than just a low-end wall; he leaves negative space for dancers; and he prefers tension arcs that bloom at 110–114 BPM. When he shifts into 3-step phrasing, you hear clipped snares and skipping hi-hats that reset the pocket without spiking the tempo. That’s why his songs migrate easily between Amapiano playlists and Afro-tech sets, and why a single hook (“iPlan”) can live in headphone pop and 4 a.m. club worlds at once. Press and listings consistently file him across Afro house/Amapiano/gqom tags, a reflection of how he treats genre as a toolkit rather than a fence.

Flagship performances: 2025 sets that travel

Great records made the name; filmed sets made it global. In 2025, Dlala Thukzin’s long-form DJ tapes have been arriving fast and in high-quality: a DESCENDANTS Johannesburg set that passed the half-million-view band within weeks; a Lagos headline at Group Therapy VIII (May 23, 2025) capturing the West African spillover; and a Rockets Wonderland Durban set that showcases how his arrangements translate on a big outdoor PA. These uploads are more than flexes—they are booking tools that keep his name on festival grids and in radio mix-show rotations in SA and abroad.

Playlisting, radio, and Shazam moments

Thukzin’s 2025 footprint shows up in all the right places. Apple Music’s artist page surfaces “Mali,” “iPlan,” and his 2025 single entries; Spotify algorithmic/editorial lanes keep his tracks near the top of Amapiano/Afro-house blends; and daily chart trackers recorded “uValo” roaring into South Africa’s Top 5 with sustained 80–95k daily streams in late August. Meanwhile, gqom’s renewed streaming growth—Spotify data reported a 5,732% surge in global streams year-over-year in a recent industry piece—has given Durban-rooted rhythms a fresh export channel that benefits cross-genre artists like Thukzin. On any weekend, the net effect is visible: Shazam spikes around Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban for IDs from his sets, and a predictable Saturday evening listening peak for gqom and allied sounds that mirror club traffic.

Business and brand: building an ecosystem, not just singles

Thukzin’s team treats releases as part of a bigger engine: high-yield live capture, savvy event partnerships and a visible brand footprint. In 2024 he publicly aligned with Sound Land on an events/production initiative around Durban July—an example of how he converts momentum into IP and platform plays beyond the booth. That matters because Amapiano/gqom economies reward artists who can own the pipeline from studio to stage to upload. Album-era cycles like Finally Famous Too and 031 Studio Camp 2.0 are built to feed exactly that pipeline: full-lengths for the core, singles and videos for the public, and long sets for promoters.

Awards, press and critical context

While club numbers are the truest measure in this scene, formal accolades have followed. Coverage of “iPlan” documented its double-platinum certification and national chart run; Wikipedia/SAMA roundups and mainstream press mention his nominations and year-end list placements. In 2023, for instance, OkayAfrica placed him among the year’s best with “iPlan,” confirming what South Africans had already known for months—that his sound defined the season. In 2025, you’ll find him on nominees lists and festival previews alongside scene pillars, indicating how firmly he has moved from exciting prospect to reliable top-liner.

How to identify a Dlala Thukzin record in the wild

• The low end sings: Listen for a log-drum line that outlines a melody rather than just hitting root notes.
• Durban percussion DNA: Tough, forward mids; snares that snap; kicks that thump without drowning the piano.
• Space to move: He favors long intros and measured builds so dancers can find a pocket before the bass blossoms.
• Three-step pivots: In 2025 sets you’ll hear sudden shifts into 3-step grids that refresh the groove without lifting the BPM.
• Vocal pockets: Hooks from Zee Nxumalo, Sykes and peers slide into the mix, then he delays the full-weight drop to spike crowd energy.

Essential 2023–2025 listen/watch list

• “iPlan” (feat. Zaba & Sykes) — double-platinum smash; #1 on Billboard SA Songs; cornerstone of his modern sets.
• Permanent Music 3 (EP, 2023) — compact, DJ-ready, houses “iPlan.”
• Finally Famous Too (Album, 2024) — broadened his pop reach; Apple Music date: Sept 27, 2024.
• “Mali” (with Zee Nxumalo feat. Sykes, 2025) — the 2025 driver; Apple Music and official video live.
• “uValo” (Jazzworx, Thukuthela & Babalwa M feat. Dlala Thukzin, 2025) — Spotify SA daily Top 5 performer in August.
• DESCENDANTS Johannesburg set (2025) — a filmed masterclass in 3-step/Afro-tech pacing.

Where to get the music (and follow the momentum)

• Apple Music artist page for dated album/EP entries and new singles like “Mali” and “uValo.”
• Spotify artist page for monthly listeners and discovery through Amapiano/Afro-house playlists.
• YouTube for official videos and broadcast-quality sets via DESCENDANTS and RocketsTV.

Why he matters right now

Dlala Thukzin is a bridge. To gqom loyalists, he is the proof that Durban drums still headline the country; to Amapiano fans, he’s the engineer who makes the log drum sing; to promoters, he’s a guaranteed mover with filmed sets that travel across markets; and to casual listeners, he’s the voice behind songs that anchor weddings, braais and late-night drives. The 2025 data points—new album (031 Studio Camp 2.0), a top-five national streaming presence through collaborations, big-ticket filmed sets, and nearly two million monthly listeners—say the quiet part out loud: he’s not just in the conversation; he is reshaping it in near-real time.

Start here: a three-track crash course

1. “iPlan” — hear the blueprint: elastic log drum, roomy arrangement, a hook that refuses to leave.
2. “Mali” — 2025 sheen with Zee Nxumalo’s glide; watch the official video for the way the drop is delayed then lands with authority.
3. “Phuze (Remix)” — a time capsule of the multi-genre debate, now a certified hit.

Final word

South African dance music keeps reinventing itself, and in 2025 few artists embody that evolution like Dlala Thukzin. He is a technician and a showman, a studio rat and a festival closer, equally fluent in township grit and international polish. If you want to understand why gqom and Amapiano are still inventing tomorrow, press play on his 2025 sets, queue up 031 Studio Camp 2.0, and let the log drum do the talking. The numbers confirm the moment; the music explains it.