Moonchild Sanelly Tickets

There’s no mistaking Moonchild Sanelly: her vibrant cloud of blue hair, jaw dropping dance moves and sex-positive agenda has seen the South African singer, dancer and poet become a force for female empowerment and sexual liberation both in her home country and around the globe. 

A firebrand in every sense of the word, Moonchild Sanelly is one of the most distinctive and compelling voices in South African music, and has courted the adoration of supreme stars like Beyoncé. Handpicked by to appear on the icon’s curated The Lion King: The Gift album and its visual companion Black Is King, Sanelly’s collaboration with Bey elevated her to global renown. 

But her story began long before her international breakthrough. 

Born in Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth) in 1985, Sanelisiwe Twisha was surrounded by music since childhood. Be it choreographing dance moves to the Spice Girls, singing in church, or teaching herself to the piano, music and poetry became her foremost mode of expression. Her creativity was always encouraged by her family, and Twisha later relocated to Durban in 2005 to study fashion – she later started her own fashion line, Moonchild Cultwear.

Though it was her involvement in the local music scene that sparked a desire in Twisha. She began performing her poetry in both English and Xhosa under the moniker Moonchild Sanelly, blended with the kinds of hip-hop, jazz and kwaito her family exposed her to as a child. Taking umbrage to the misogynistic attitudes of local rappers, she overcame any difficulties by doubling down on her overly sexual and empowered stance. She outgrew Durban and moved to Johannesburg, building a reputation for her flamboyant style and electrifying live shows before the release of her 2015 debut album, Rabulapha!. 

After supporting native duo Die Antwoord on tour, she became a star in her own right on home turf. Then the world started to take notice. Beyoncé vouched for Moonchild Sanelly and recruited her for the song ‘My Power’ which also featured Busiswa and Nija. Utilising her newfound spotlight, the ‘Thunda Thighs’ singer released her EP Nüdes the year after. 

Many more collaboration requests flooded towards her: after taking a starring role on Gorillaz’ track ‘With Love To An Ex’ from their 2020 album Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez, she guested on Ghetts' ‘Mozambique’ and Major Lazer's ‘Hands Up’ in 2021. Amid her globetrotting – performing at festivals like SXSW and Primavera Sound – and rubbing shoulders with music’s glitterati, Moonchild Sanelly signed a deal with Transgressive Records. In 2022 she released the album Phases, fusing elements of afro-punk, pop-leaning production, and experimental electronica which saw previous collaborators in Ghetts and Sad Night Dynamite return the favour, as well as guest contributions from TOKiMONSTA and Aramboa. 

Moonchild Sanelly’s reputation and reverence only flourished from then onwards, teaming up with Self Esteem on ‘Big Man’ in the summer of 2024 before appearing at Glastonbury Festival, WOMAD, Wilderness, and Green Man Festival. 

Preceded by singles ‘Scrambled Eggs’ ‘Sweet & Savage’ and ‘Big Booty’, the vivacious visionary announced her third full-length effort, FULL MOON, the newest extension of her “unique sonic fingerprint” which she supported with shows at Wardrobe in Leeds, Manchester’s YES, Glasgow’s King Tuts Wah Wah Hut and Heaven in London at the start of 2025.