Blog Post

Meet Refentse Morake from busker to popular Afrikaans singer

Afrobiz • Mar 07, 2019

Refentse Morake has taken the Afrikaans music industry by storm - we look back at his journey.

Refentse Morake

In 2015, two videos of Refentse Morake singing De la Rey and Lisa se Klavier were uploaded onto social media. Little did he know that those videos would make him famous.

The videos of him singing on the streets of Vereeniging went viral and soon after he became the new sensation of South African music.

After becoming a viral sensation, Refentse built a strong career out of doing what he loves most. He released his debut album a year later in 2016. He also had the opportunity to collaborate with a variety of Afrikaans singers, including Ricus Nel, Adam Tas, and Bok van Berk on Hardekole, which made even more people sit up and listen.

When he was 17-years-old, fellow musician Karen Zoid asked him to perform with her at the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees. Their performance also went viral and Karen decided to help him with the recording of his album.

Refentse, who has more than 22,000 followers on Instagram, has joined the Jacaranda FM team on numerous occasions to perform and to make a difference in listeners' lives.

Another hit video for Refentse is the legendary poem and song, Sonvanger . The video has been viewed over one-million times on YouTube.

Here are some of our favourite songs from this local hitmaker

24 African Heroes Who Stood By Their Beliefs
By AfroBiz Africa 22 Aug, 2023
These African heroes who stood by their beliefs no matter what, worked to liberate African countries from colonizing forces or to better black interests throughout the world. Some paid the ultimate price with their lives.
Un nouveau financement de 80 millions de dollars pour intensifier la lutte contre le virus Ebola
By Afrobiz 07 Mar, 2019
La RDC lutte contre l’actuelle épidémie d’Ebola depuis août 2018 et déplore à ce jour plus de 480 morts confirmés dans les provinces du Nord-Kivu et d’Ituri.
Mombasa shoe thief forced to eat raw pepper
By Afrobiz 07 Mar, 2019
A thief from Mombasa County who was forced to eat a handful of raw peppers after a stealing spree in a mosque
By AfroBiz 20 Dec, 2018
South Africans rap about the people with nothing, praising their resilience for surviving hunger, crime and being looked down upon by others.
A guide to Africa's 'looted treasures'
By AfroBiz 20 Dec, 2018
During colonial rule in Africa, thousands of cultural artefacts were plundered. African countries want them back.
Museum of Black Civilisations in Dakar, Senegal
By AfroBiz 20 Dec, 2018
The idea of establishing the Museum of Black Civilisations dates back more than 50 years, to Senegal's late poet-president, Léopold Sédar Senghor.
L'appauvrissement de l'Afrique
By AfroBiz 19 Dec, 2018
Ce qu'il faut bien comprendre c'est que l'Afrique n'est pas pauvre. Elle est appauvrit.
Six of the world’s 12 fastest-growing countries are in Africa
By AfroBiz 26 Nov, 2018
Africa’s economic growth prospects are amongst the world’s brightest.
Who built the largest online community for African women?
By AfroBiz 24 Nov, 2018
She Leads Africa, the No. 1 destination for young African women looking to build successful careers or businesses, is a platform that claims to be the largest online community for African millennial women in the world.
Ethiopia elected its first female president
By AfroBiz 22 Nov, 2018
Sahle-Work Zewde becomes Ethiopia's first female president
Show More
Share by: