Black Major is unique in the South African music landscape – an accomplished, thoroughly professional music agency, rooted in African context, and nurturing and developing the careers of a wide range of local artists, but with a focused global outlook.
Our artists have been chosen for their innovation. We believe that music out of Africa is absolutely unique, and are committed to increasing the impact of African music in the global milieu. Our job is to produce content with international appeal, and to prepare talent for careers on a world stage.
More recently, Black Major has become involved in production of music-related film content. From independent features, like “Future Sound of Mzansi” – Spoek Mathambo’s ground breaking documentary on electronic music in South Africa – to smaller documentaries and branded content for international brands such as Red Bull, Adidas, Diesel, VICE, Vodafone, Absolut Vodka, and Castle Light, Black Major is rapidly gaining a foothold in the African film world.
Founder and CEO, Sevi Spanoudi, comes with strong credentials. She spent her first seven years in the industry taking South Africa’s crossover sensations Freshlyground from obscurity to an MTV Europe Award, a global #1 hit single with Shakira, and three platinum selling records. Current label darlings, Beatenberg, have just signed an unprecedented four album deal with Island Records and recorded and toured with multiple-Grammy winners Mumford & Sons.
Artists represented by Black Major and Sevi Spanoudi have delivered three multi-platinum and six gold-selling records. They have won an MTV Europe Award, 22 South African Music (SAMA) Awards, 2 Channel-O awards, 4 Metro FM awards, and a Wawela Award. They have performed at the World Cup closing ceremony, on the Jimmy Fallon and Jules Holland shows, and at many international festivals including Glastonbury, Primavera Sound, and Sonar, and they have attended the Red Bull Music Academy in Paris and Montreal.
Black Major is positioned left of centre, with a young, hip and extremely vibrant team who like to get their hands dirty. We’re growing rapidly and excited to see African music continue to step out of the shadows and take its rightful place at the forefront of the global music scene.
