If you needed another reason to look forward to January, KWN is coming to South Africa.
The announcement that KWN will join Ty Dolla $ign as one of the international headliners for WAV Festival has already got South African fans talking online and offline. The festival will return to Cape Town on 2 January 2027 before heading to Pretoria for the first time on 3 January, where it will take over SunBet Arena.
For KWN, the South African dates come at an exciting point in her career. She has quickly become one of the names to watch in contemporary R&B, with her 2024 single Worst Behaviour marking a breakthrough moment. The track later received a remix featuring Kehlani, while KWN has gone on to be named Billboard’s R&B Rookie of the Month, featured on NME’s 100 list and nominated for Best New International Act at the 2025 BET Awards.
Her music stays rooted in R&B but has a distinctly modern feel, often exploring love, vulnerability, desire and the messier side of relationships. Her latest project, and all pride aside, arrived in June 2026 as an 11-track EP that addresses those themes, while showing just how much her sound has developed.
The project also features Ty Dolla $ign, making their pairing at WAV a little more interesting. The Grammy-nominated artist has spent more than a decade moving between R&B, hip-hop and pop, working with some of the biggest names in music along the way.
And if the reaction to the announcement is anything to go by, South African fans are already prepared for it. KWN and Ty Dolla $ign appearing on the same line-up has sparked plenty of conversation online, while WAV’s move into Pretoria gives fans outside Cape Town another opportunity to catch the festival.
For KWN fans, there’s also a growing catalogue of tracks to look forward to hearing live. Worst Behaviour, all the girls and eyes wide open are among the songs that have helped build her following, and will likely be high on fans’ wish lists for her South African set.
With more artists still to be announced, WAV Festival is shaping up to be one of the first big music weekends of 2027. If your January plans involve good R&B, a summer crowd and an excuse to get dressed up, this is one to keep on your radar.
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