Music veteran Mxolisi MXO Lokwe prepares to release Umxolisi while expanding his creative ventures across music, fashion, live experiences and lifestyle tourism. After more than two decades in the music industry and a catalogue spanning 17 albums, Mxolisi MXO Lokwe is preparing to enter a new musical chapter with the release of Umxolisi.
The album arrives at an exciting time for MXO, who has spent the second half of 2026 touring South Africa, performing for audiences and promoting Different Folks, his independent music and cultural experience platform.
Following successful Gauteng and Eastern Cape shows, MXO is preparing for the next leg of his tour, which includes a Cape Town residency, before returning to Gauteng in November to close off the year.
For MXO, this journey represents more than the promotion of a new album. It reflects a broader vision of building an independent creative business that connects music, fashion, culture, film, hospitality and entrepreneurship.
Umxolisi: The music continues
MXO’s upcoming album, Umxolisi, continues a musical journey shaped by independence, experimentation and storytelling. With more than two decades of experience in the industry, he remains committed to exploring new creative directions while building a lasting legacy beyond recorded music.
The album offers an opportunity for audiences, broadcasters and music lovers to reconnect with MXO’s artistry and discover the next phase of his musical expression.
Different Folks: More than a music platform
Established by MXO in 2019, Different Folks was created to bring together artists, audiences and diverse expressions of African creativity.
Over the years, the platform has featured an impressive range of musicians, including Bholoja, Alaska, Maleh, Zamajobe, Zawadi Muyungu, Dumza Maswana, Roots 2000, Madala Kunene, Andile Yenana, McCoy Mrubata and Louis Mhlanga, among others.
However, MXO envisions Different Folks as a multidisciplinary cultural platform that extends beyond music to include poets, comedians, filmmakers, designers, visual artists, storytellers and innovators.
“Different Folks is about the people who don’t necessarily fit neatly into one category. I want to create a platform where musicians can share a stage with poets, comedians, filmmakers, innovators and other people who are pushing culture forward,” says MXO.
Through touring, live experiences and creative collaborations, Different Folks seeks to create more opportunities for artists to connect with audiences and participate in a wider creative economy.
Vanguard: Fashion with a maverick spirit
Beyond music and live events, MXO is developing Vanguard, his clothing and lifestyle brand, reflecting his independent identity and distinctive approach to culture. His current offering is available at House of Vanguard.
His entrepreneurial interests also extend into film production, lifestyle products and other creative ventures, forming part of a larger vision to build sustainable businesses around original ideas, intellectual property and cultural expression.
The Wild Coast: A maverick experience
MXO’s connection to the Wild Coast is central to his next chapter. Through Mavericks Camps and his lifestyle and retreat vision in Coffee Bay, he is exploring the intersection of nature, hospitality, wellness, music and cultural experiences.
The ambition is to contribute to a creative ecosystem where visitors can experience the Wild Coast beyond conventional tourism, while opening up opportunities for collaboration, local enterprise and emerging creatives.
Through his foundation and wider creative initiatives, MXO is also working towards creating opportunities for emerging talent, particularly in communities outside South Africa’s established cultural centres.
But through it all, MXO remains a father, a student, a maverick and, in his own words, “a beach bum from the Wild Coast.”
As Umxolisi approaches its release, MXO invites audiences and media to engage with a story that extends beyond the stage — one of music, reinvention, ownership and the possibilities of African creativity.
Different Folks Cape Town residency
MXO × Zamajobe
Different Folks brings its celebrated music experience to Cape Town for a three-day residency featuring two of South Africa’s distinctive Soul and Afro-Jazz artists, MXO and Zamajobe, from 23 to 25 October 2026.
The two artists will take audiences on a journey that fuses familiar classics, timeless sounds and fresh catalogue selections, celebrating their musical legacies while introducing new expressions of their evolving artistry to Cape Town audiences.
Catch MXO × Zamajobe at:
Rust en Vreugd
Friday, 23 October 2026, from 5pm
78 Buitenkant Street, Cape Town City Centre
R200
Tickets: Quicket
The Athletic Club & Social
Saturday, 24 October 2026, from 9pm
35 Buitengracht Street, Cape Town
R250 (door), R200 (FIXR)
Tickets: door & FIXR
