Thesuso: A New Home for South Sudanese Music

It happens again and again. A South Sudanese song spreads across TikTok. Thousands of people share it, dance to it and add it to their videos. And in the comments, the same question keeps appearing: Who is the artist?

That question is why Thesuso exists.

Thesuso is a home for South Sudanese music, the artists who make it and the stories behind them.

Why South Sudanese music can be hard to discover

South Sudanese music is full of talent and creativity. But finding it — and learning about the people who make it — isn't always easy.

Songs and music videos are spread across YouTube, streaming services, social media and music platforms, often split between artist, promoter and community channels. New releases can pass unnoticed, while searching for an artist may turn up little more than a song, a social media profile or scattered information across several platforms.

Unless you already know who to look for or where to look, exploring the wider South Sudanese music scene can be difficult.

Thesuso is being built to make that discovery easier.

Artists, releases and stories in one place

Thesuso brings together artist profiles, new releases, music videos and original stories.

You might arrive looking for an artist you already know and leave having discovered someone completely new.

Every artist profile adds to a growing catalogue of South Sudanese talent. Each release we feature — whether a single, EP, album or music video — gets a lasting place alongside the artist who made it.

Great music deserves to stay discoverable long after release day.

But discovering the music is only part of it. We want listeners to be able to learn about the artists behind the songs, explore more of their work and understand the stories surrounding the music.

Alongside new releases, Thesuso will publish interviews, artist spotlights, curated selections and original stories exploring South Sudanese music and the culture around it.

We also want to look back.

South Sudanese music has a history worth documenting: the artists who came before, the songs people grew up with and the sounds and moments that shaped generations.

Space for emerging artists

Established artists often have audiences of their own. Emerging artists can find it much harder to get meaningful coverage, even when their music deserves attention.

We want to create more space for them.

Thesuso is curated. Anyone can submit music for consideration, but we select what appears on the platform.

The aim is to find promising talent, present strong releases properly and introduce listeners to artists they might otherwise have missed.

As Thesuso grows, we want being featured here to mean something.

South Sudanese music, without borders

South Sudanese artists and communities live across countries and continents, and the music travels with them.

You shouldn't need to be part of the community or already know the scene to start exploring it. Anyone should be able to discover a South Sudanese artist, hear their music, learn about the person behind it and keep exploring from there.

We want Thesuso to reflect the diversity of South Sudanese music, from songs in Juba Arabic, Dinka, Nuer, Bari and English to gospel, traditional sounds, Afrobeats, hip hop and more.

The music may come from South Sudan and its communities around the world, but there should be no border around who gets to discover it.

Where Thesuso is going

Right now, we're focused on music: building the catalogue, documenting artists, sharing new releases and telling the stories behind them.

Over time, Thesuso will grow into other parts of South Sudanese culture and entertainment.

The ambition is simple: make South Sudanese music easier to discover, understand and follow.

We want someone searching for a song to discover the artist behind it. Someone discovering an artist to find more of their music. And someone discovering South Sudanese music for the first time to have somewhere they can keep exploring.

Be part of Thesuso

Artists: submit your music for consideration. We welcome singles, music videos, EPs and albums, as well as information for artist profiles. Artists and creatives can also get in touch about interviews, features and stories that deserve to be told.

Listeners: explore the latest releases, meet the artists behind the music and come back often. You might find someone you would never have heard otherwise.

Thesuso is just getting started.

Welcome to Thesuso — a home for South Sudanese music, artists and culture.