When Johannesburg’s sold-out Camomile Live series finally lands in Cape Town this June, it won’t just be another gig to fill your winter calendar. It’s the latest chapter in a much bigger experiment: What happens when an artist stops trying to fit Cape Town’s music scene and instead makes Cape Town come to him?
For Ntobeko “Sishii” Sishi, the answer has been years in the making. The KwaMashu-born, UCT-educated singer-actor has worn almost every creative hat possible – soap opera lead, youth TV host, brand ambassador, and, now, fiercely independent musician and entrepreneur. But Camomile Live is something different: a testing ground for a South African R&B artist embracing his genre-fluid instincts without industry safety nets or nostalgia crutches.
The series has already proven itself in Johannesburg, where three consecutive nights sold out earlier this year. Now, Sishii is betting that Cape Town will meet him halfway – not with the usual wait-and-see approach but with genuine early support. Early-bird tickets have already sold out. So get yours fast.
Set inside Woodstock’s Hearty Collective on 27 June, Camomile Live aims to dissolve the traditional boundary between performer and crowd.
It’s not a typical “gig” but an immersive experience: live music infused with storytelling, designed to feel like a shared space rather than a staged production.
Cape Town’s music audiences often pride themselves on cultural curiosity but tend to reward international imports or nostalgia acts over emerging local talent. Sishii’s trajectory – with his refusal to be pinned down to R&B, trap, or indie – challenges that reflex. His 2024 commitment to a rapid-fire release strategy (dropping over 15 singles and an EP in quick succession) isn’t just a content play. It’s a statement: he’s not waiting for permission or perfect timing.
If Camomile Live succeeds here, it will signal that Cape Town’s music fans can still recognise risk-taking when they see it – and that they’re willing to invest in artists writing their own rules.
